One Big Dysfunctional NCIS Family
by mysticgirl101
Summary: Prequel to my story Out To Get You. After an undercover mission with Tony, Ziva finds she is pregnant, how will she and Tony cope? How will their life change? What will life be like for their child growing up in NCIS? I do not own NCIS. Please Review.
1. Chapter 1

One Big Dysfunctional NCIS Family

**Hi everybody, this is the awaited prequel to Out To Get You, my last NCIS story, I have a lot on at the moment and lots of other stories to write but I loved writing about NCIS, I thought this one might be easier to write, so I could do my other stories but still write NCIS, this will probably have short chapters but regular updates I hope.**

**Anyway hope you like it**

Chapter 1 – The Start of Something New

Ziva giggled as she rolled over in the bed so that she was straddling Tony, she gazed into his clear eyes 'he is actually quite handsome' she thought as she pressed her lips to his 'no focus, you are on a mission to catch a serial killer you need to stay focused'. Tony grinned at her and ran his fingers through her long hair, she smiled at him and leaned into the touch.

They were trying to catch the killer of 6 marines and their wives, all of them were young and just married, they were lured into a false sense of security, drugged and then killed, the man being forced to watch their wives suffer first. They were all shot in the temple at point blank range – execution style. Their killer really was twisted.

They were undercover trying to find the vital bit of evidence in a case, the gun that had killed their victims, their suspect was very good at covering his tracks but the gun used, was an antique, not something you would just throw away, so with great difficulty they had managed to get themselves into his house where he allowed newly married navy couples to stay for romantic weekends before they were deployed by pretending to be a newly wedded navy couple deeply in love.

Ziva sighed as they finished, they didn't know if the room was bugged or not, so to be on the safe side they had decided to have some fun to try and make their cover really convincing. "well my love" she taunted "how was that" Tony gazed at her, his eyes shining "the best ever sweet cheeks" she smiled and pressed her lips to his once more before lying down next to him cuddled up against his chest "I love you" Tony whispered loud enough for any microphones to hear 'he sounds like he means it' Ziva thought 'he is a good actor' "and I you, my little hairy butt" she said using her favourite nickname for him, once again she pressed her lips to his and rolled off him "a'ww" Tony wined "come on sweet cheeks more" she pinched him in the side making him stifle a yelp and then cover it with a moan of happiness as she kissed him again.

Ziva threw her head back and allowed him to kiss her neck for a little while until all other sounds of life in the house stopped and she punched him in the gut "oof Ziva" he grunted "you keep watch" she breathed "I am going to look for the gun" before he could protest she had leapt up grabbed a robe and slipped out into the hall.

Her bare feet made no sound on the thick carpet and she was very cautious going down the stairs carefully minding out for any creaky areas, she crept into the study where they had booked their room, she had seen a case of guns behind the desk and knew she would have to try there first, she reached into her pocket and pulled out some hairpins, it took her exactly 15 seconds to jimmy the lock and open the case, she then reached back into the pocket of her robe and pulled out some ballistics test kits, she then proceeded to swab the barrel of each gun, she was just swabbing the last one when she heard a sound from behind. Instantly she was alert listening, there was a creek and quick as a flash she stuffed the swabs into her pocket shut the case and stood up just as the light flicked on, "Mrs DiNardo" came the smooth silky voice of their host "what are you doing in here"

Ziva smiled at him sweetly "I am so sorry Mr Hudson, I didn't mean to intrude, my husband has lost his car keys and I was wondering if he left them in here when we signed in" she looked him straight in the eye calculating his every move, this was what she had been doing for most of her life now, and she still loved the thrilling feeling she got when there was possible danger, she waited until he gave her an apologetic smile "I am afraid I haven't seen them Mrs DiNozzo, but I will keep an eye out for them if you like" "yes thank you" Ziva said he turned and she followed him out into the hall and then up the stairs, Tony was standing in the doorway to their room so she quickly said "your keys were not in his study my love I hope we have not lost them, though not being able to return home would give us a good excuse to stay longer" Tony's eyes widened at the thought before he recovered himself "yes sweet cheeks, it would be nice to stay here longer, it certainly is lovely here isn't it" he wrapped one arm around her and Ziva leant against him "yes it has _everything_ we want here" she felt Tony squeeze her shoulder in response, showing that he understood what she said.

Their host smiled at them "I am glad that you like it here, I hope you will return one day" Tony smiled "oh I am sure we will" he said, and with that their host bade them goodnight and they retired back into their room, the moment they heard their host's bedroom door close Tony turned to her, she glared at him "thought you were keeping watch" she accused, he ignored that "did you get them" he murmured "of course" Ziva muttered back "piece of pie till he walked in" "_cake_" Tony corrected "piece of cake" she blinked at him confused but let it go, Tony leapt back into the bed and looked at her hopefully, she raised her eyebrows at him before clambering into bed with him "job done" he whispered "want to have some fun" she looked at him again, he grinned a goofy grin at her making her smile, he was good in bed, she had to admit that, so with a groan they made their cover look even more realistic.

XOXOXO

The next morning they went down to breakfast bickering as usual, and then they produced Tony's 'lost' keys that had turned up in the night and left with their ballistics tests in their pockets, they drove to the motel a few blocks away and knocked on the door to room 27, it opened and they both took a step back as their boss appeared "did you have a good night last night" he growled "because you didn't turn your microphones on so we had no idea what was happening in there, we were meant to be doing it as a team, not Tony and Ziva solo" he glared at them 'good thing he couldn't see what was going on' Ziva thought and handed him the tests, his glare slipped at the sight of them "good job" he admitted grudgingly and they sighed in relief, only to yelp as he gave them a head slap each "that is for breaking rule 15" he said "always work as a team, a whole team" they nodded and slipped into the room where McGee was sitting watching his colleagues get told off with an awkward expression on his face "pack up McGee we have what we came for" Gibbs said and instantly the youngest of his agents leapt up and began to shut everything down.

Tony and Ziva helped him whilst their boss went off to get more coffee, they all hoped he would be in a better mood when he had some coffee in him. "seriously guys why did you not turn on your microphones, he was livid all evening" "we forgot ok McNosey" Tony said "he was kind of all over us and all" McGee frowned at them "but what if he had tried to kill you" he asked "well crazy ninja chick here would have kicked his ass and I would have stayed out of her way" Tony said as he placed a laptop in a case, Ziva threw him a dirty look and Tony grinned at her, they didn't mention it again as Gibbs returned and they all left back to NCIS to give Abby the tests and see if any of the guns were a match.

They were lucky and they found their smoking gun and arrested their suspect and he was put away for life, neither Tony nor Ziva told any of their friends about their night, they kept it between themselves, as they had done for every other time.

**Hope you like it, I know it was quite short but I hope I will be able to update very regularly.**

**The sequel will be along soon, I am planning it, and will start writing soon, busy at the moment though and I have lots of books to write, I know I shouldn't write so many at once but I get an idea, have to write it down and then I want to see what people think**

**Hope you liked it, I was going to write more but I decided that it would be a good place to stop there. Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews everyone, keep them coming if you want quicker updates haha, I appreciate every review though**

**I am writing my sequel too at the moment and am trying to think of a name, but I am struggling, anyone with any suggestions, inbox me – it is basically about Tali being forced to become her mother.**

**Hope you like this chapter **

Chapter 2 – Feeling Different

5 weeks later, on a Thursday morning saw Ziva came into work acting different, as she exited the elevator Tony noticed she seemed down, "hey Zeevvaa you ok" he asked, stretching out her name as he liked to do because he liked the dirty look she gave him when he did, today he didn't get one Ziva just nodded at him and settled into her chair, he looked at McGee who shrugged, they had worked with Ziva for years now and they were still wary of her when she was in a mood, Tony decided not to risk his life by continuing to bother her, 'probably her time of the month' he decided and settled down to play Tetris on his phone. But it wasn't long before he couldn't resist flirting with her as he did most mornings.

Ziva settled into her chair, ignoring Tony's usual flirty cheeky comments and attempts to annoy her, she was worried, when she had been out for her run that morning she hadn't managed as far as she would have liked, she usually ran for about an hour but today after 45 minutes she had felt exhausted and rather dizzy, she had decided to head back which was a good thing because she had barely made it through the front door when a wave of nausea had over come her sending her scrambling for the bathroom where she had thrown up in the toilet, she couldn't remember the last time she had thrown up which was why she was worried.

She was distracted from her thoughts as Gibbs entered calling out "gear up, dead marine" he gave her an odd look as she rose to her feet slowly "you ok Ziver" he asked softly, she smiled and nodded "I am fine, thank you Gibbs" he didn't look convinced but nodded, she shook her head trying to shake the dizzy exhausted feeling and act normal, she reached for the keys to the van only to have them scooped up by a whooping Tony, who danced out of reach before she got them back, not in the mood, she let him have it and Tony frowned at that, it wasn't like his crazy ninja chick to give in so easily, scratch that it wasn't like Ziva to give in at all.

On the drive to the body Ziva sat by the window quiet, she had it open and was taking deep breaths, she looked pretty sick and very tired, Tony watched her out of the corner of his eye, he felt concerned but he didn't want to show it, she was acting so different now and she wasn't talking to him. They arrived at the crime scene and she shook her head gently maybe to try and focus before she got out and began to help them bring their equipment to the body "hey McGee" Tony hissed "what do you think is wrong with Ziva" McGee looked at the Mossad assassin's retreating back and shrugged "don't know and I am not going to ask I want to keep all of my fingers, she will most likely break them if I ask" Tony nodded guessing he was probably right and then they followed her to the body where Gibbs and Ducky were already waiting "take your time" Gibbs said sarcastically and muttering apologies they hurried forward to work.

Tony was collecting soil samples with McGee making sketches, Ziva moved forward to take some photos when suddenly she stopped a peculiar expression on her face, then she clamped her hand over her mouth and bolted, Tony dropped what he was doing and took off after her, she didn't get very far before she stopped doubling over and then she threw up against the wall, one hand over her stomach, she stumbled, looking faint and Tony caught hold of her preventing her from falling, she groaned and then threw up again, gently Tony pulled her hair back for her whilst she vomited. When she was done she hung there groaning, she tried to stand but couldn't. Tony looked over his shoulder to find the rest of the team watching, Gibbs frowning, Tony shifted uncertainly but didn't let her go, she was still looking pale and weak.

Gibbs then moved forward "are you ok Ziver" he asked concerned, she nodded "I am fine Gibbs just a beetle" "_Bug_" everyone corrected and she grumbled something about that it didn't matter "thank you Tony" she said softly as they rest of the team backed off to continue their work. She looked up into his greenie eyes "you can let me go now" she added, slowly he released his hold on her but continued to stand ready to catch her if need be. She slowly moved back to the crime scene but Gibbs sent her back to the van, she didn't complain, she went quite willingly. She clambered in and rested her head back, before closing her eyes and letting out a deep sigh.

This was not the first time she had thrown up recently, she had been throwing up every morning of this week and she had felt faint before, she had ignored it thinking that it would just get better but now she wasn't so sure, she wasn't used to feeling like this, she usually knew every part of her body, but now it felt different, and that was worrying to her, suddenly she couldn't push herself as she usually could, she was limited and again she was not used to that. She couldn't remember the last time she had thrown up, felt dizzy or nearly collapsed, she sighed and thought about what could be wrong with her, as she did so a thought popped into her head that made her freeze, she thought and thought mulling the possibility over and over in her head, thinking hard, the more she thought about it the more likely it became, she felt herself begin to shake and then her breathing became faster and faster. Slowly she calmed herself and sat waiting. It wasn't long before the team finished and clambered back into the van Tony and McGee bickering as usual, she remained silent and she could feel Tony's eyes on her as McGee drove back for once, she sighed, she wanted to go home and check to see if she was right or wrong, but she would just have to make it through the day, then she could check and hopefully set her mind at rest.

But when they arrived and had parked, she clambered slowly out and was heading for the elevator when her path was blocked by Gibbs, she looked up at him confused "go home Ziver" he said softly but firmly "Gibbs I am fine now, I can work" she began but he cut her off "Ziver I just watched you throw up, something I never thought I would see you do, and then you needed Tony, you and DiNozzo are always bickering and then suddenly he was supporting you whilst you were unable to stand, another thing I never thought I would see from you, I need you to go home and recover so that you are our fit strong kick ass ninja again, go home, that is an order David" she looked up into his piercing blue eyes, they were stern but gentle and worried, she smiled softly "alright" she said "Tony is going to love this" she muttered, her going home sick, that never happened, Gibbs raised his eyebrows, "I think he will understand, he was concerned for you too, I sent him to change since he stinks of vomit" "opps" Ziva muttered and then smiled softly "thank him for me" she said quietly and Gibbs nodded before leaning forward and kissing her brow in a fatherly manner "go" he murmured "recover", she smiled "thank you" she said and he nodded before turning and stepping into the lift.

Ziva moved slowly over to her car and climbed slowly inside, then she drove at her normal speed towards her house, she stopped though at a pharmacy and walked through the isles until she found what she was looking for, she dithered about which one to buy before eventually choosing, she picked up two boxes which would give her four tests, she paid and then hurriedly clambered back into her car and she completed her journey back to her apartment, she hurried in and locked the door behind her before proceeding to the bathroom, there she followed the instructions on all of the tests wanting to be absolutely certain, she had to then wait for 5 minutes so unable to sit in the bathroom waiting for five minutes she set the timer in the kitchen and then threw herself down in front of her television and flicked aimlessly through the channels until the timer went what felt like years later, the loud ringing made her jump.

She slowly walked back into the bathroom, trying not to peek at the tests, she reached the sink where she had left them and closed her eyes, then she leaned over and after taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked at the results.

**Ha sorry about the delay, life has so been getting in the way and my other books needed an update too, I am writing the sequel and wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a name, please let me know, if you do.**

**Hope you liked it, I was going to write more but I decided that it would be a good place to stop there. Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi thanks for all the reviews, much appreciated, thanks for the name suggestions too ****, glad you like it, I am hoping that I will be able to do more regular updates from now on now that I am in the rhythm, but I am silly as I have loads of books all on the go at once, plus loads of people want a sequel to Out To Get You which I do really want to do, as I think it would be an awesome story to write, hoping to finish my Castle one soon, but have still got ideas coming in about that one so maybe not.**

**Anyway hope you like this one**

Chapter 3 – Results and Reactions

_She followed the instructions on all of the tests wanting to be absolutely certain, she had to then wait for 5 minutes so unable to sit in the bathroom waiting for five minutes she set the timer in the kitchen and then threw herself down in front of her television and flicked aimlessly through the channels until the timer went what felt like years later, the loud ringing made her jump._

_She slowly walked back into the bathroom, trying not to peek at the tests, she reached the sink where she had left them and closed her eyes, then she leaned over and after taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked at the results._

Ziva stared at the results in shock; all of the tests said the same thing. Positive. Ziva continued to stare unable to believe it, positive, no they couldn't be positive, she couldn't be … but all four of the tests said the same thing, there was no mistake, she was.

Ziva sank to the floor trembling, this was not something that she had ever expected would happen to her, not something she had planned, and without planning she didn't know what to do, but she supposed this was one of those things you couldn't plan for. She sat on the floor thinking hard, still trying to process her news. The news that she, Ziva David was Pregnant.

And that Tony was the father. She groaned, what had she gotten herself in to? She looked down at her belly, still flat, not yet large and round, proof that there was a little person inside of her, she couldn't help but smile though at the thought of having a baby and being a mother, the thought was magical. Then she thought of her family, and the smile slipped from her face, her father would be furious, Mossad agents were not meant to have children unless they were raised to be in Mossad, as she had been, all of her childhood it had been made clear to her what she would do in the future, and she had never questioned it, she had just accepted that one day she would follow in her father's footsteps and her big brother's, one day she would become an assassin, and she had, she sighed and thought.

He father would be angry but she hoped that he would maybe accept this, she had resigned from Mossad and wanted it all to be behind her, maybe because she was no longer in Mossad he would accept it, or just leave her alone, to raise this baby.

That made her think, how did she feel about this child, she looked back down at her belly, she wanted it, she wanted to be a mom, to come home from work each night to be greeted by her child, to rock them to sleep and read them stories and tuck them in at night, it would make her more human and that was what she sort of wanted to be now, normal, she wanted a boring life, to go to work and look at the dead that she had not killed and try to give their family closure, and to save lives by locking up whoever had done the crime, she wanted to be the good guy rather than the bad guy who killed to clean up messes. She wanted this child so bad.

And what about Tony, the baby was going to be his as well after all, but did she want to tell him, or did she want to just cope with this on her own as she always had, in a way that felt natural to her, but she didn't think that would be right, to not tell Tony that he was a father and that he had either a son or a daughter. But did she want to bring him down, to chain him down, he was always such a free spirit, picking up girls, bedding them and the next day moving on, but when she had been with him, it hadn't been like that, he was sweet, gentle and romantic, and she enjoyed being with him, though that might have been from the thrill of breaking one of Gibbs' golden rules. Did she really want to bind him to her and their baby, in a way she didn't, she loved Tony as he was, wild and cheeky, she didn't want to destroy that by making him a strict responsible parent. But he had a right to know that he was a father, she knew she had to tell him, but not get her hopes up too high about whether or not he would be involved.

At that moment her phone rang making her jump, she quickly hurried back into her living room and grabbed it.

"**Hey Zivaaaa" **came a cheeky voice that she knew so well, Ziva groaned and rolled her eyes

"_Hello Tony, everything ok"_

"**yeah I'm fine, was just calling to make sure you were ok" **

Ziva frowned _"I am fine Tony, why wouldn't I be"_

"**ur because you threw up at the sight of a dead body and nearly fainted"**

"_Oh yes that, no I am fine Tony, just a bug, don't worry about me" _But something in her voice must have made Tony suspicious **"are you sure Zee, you don't sound so good, do you want me to come over"**

"_No" _Ziva said quickly, she didn't want to see Tony now, she wanted to have time to process her situation and figure out how to tell him her news _"I am fine Tony, I promise, I will see you tomorrow"_

"**your coming into work"** Tony said brightly **"cool it was mega quiet without you today, so boring"**

Ziva smiled _"yes I should be better by tomorrow Tony, I'll see you tomorrow yes"_

"**you bet, see ya tomorrow ninja chick"**

"_don't call me that" _Ziva growled and she could hear Tony laughing before she hung up.

She sighed and a small smile crossed her face at his usual antics, he was a lovely man, a child at heart and she didn't doubt that he would make a good parent, it was just was he ready to be one, to settle down and commit himself to a life as daddy, to getting up in the middle of the night to comfort a crying baby, to have to come straight home from work to make dinner for his kid and help them with their homework, to have to give up his weekends to entertain his child and to have to go see kids movies rather than the action classics that he loved. Ziva thought long and hard, she had no doubt that if he was willing to do all that he would make a wonderful daddy, the best any child could hope for.

She slowly walked into her bedroom and changed into her nightwear, then she down in her bed and sighed, closing her eyes, things were happening very fast now and it was hard to keep up with it all, she was still confused and scared, she didn't know what to do, but she was tired so she tried to relax, she tentatively put one hand over her flat stomach and that was how she drifted off to sleep.

XOXOXO

Tony sauntered into work later than usual, as he danced out of the elevator he saw a familiar dark head sitting at the desk opposite his and grinned happily, "why helloo Zeevaaa" he said from right behind her, he was surprised when the assassin nearly leapt out of her skin, she yelped and spun round "Tony" she cried out "do not do that to me" Tony grinned "at long last, I did it ladies and gentlemen, I made our ninja assassin jump" he whooped and danced around, ignoring the odd looks he was receiving "alert the media" Ziva said in a dry voice that made him stop and look at her, she seemed very tired and still didn't look right "are you better now Zeevaa" he asked in a much gentler tone trying to hide how worried he actually was for his gorgeous partner, she had her head bent and wasn't looking at him, she shrugged and then nodded before replying in a very quiet tone "I am fine thank you Tony"

Tony frowned, he would have pressed her further but Gibbs appeared and told him to go down to see if Ducky had anything useful, as he left he glanced back at Ziva and saw that Gibbs was watching her in his usual concerned manner, that relieved him in a way, to know that it wasn't just him who was worried. He went to Ducky, and whilst he was giving him one of his tales of a past case, Tony allowed his mind to wonder, he thought about Ziva, she was his partner, he hoped he was able to cheer her up, he didn't like having to creep round her, as if she were a bomb, about to explode. He could tell something was wrong and he wanted to cheer her up.

He hurried back to the bullpen and nearly crashed into Gibbs who was obviously going to see Abby "DiNozzo" Gibbs growled "watch it" "sorry boss" Tony said carefully stepping out of the elevator so that his boss could step in, just before the doors closed he whirled round and stuck his foot out stopping them "hey boss, what do you think is wrong with Ziva" Gibbs looked at him "what do you mean" he asked, Tony took a deep breath "well she has been acting weird for a while now, she is grumpy, always on edge and yesterday she threw up, and nearly fainted, something is wrong boss and she is hiding something, she is so quiet and looks like she is about to lash out and break one of my fingers if I do anything" "wouldn't surprise me" Gibbs muttered, he then took a swig of his coffee and looked at his senior field agent "why are you asking my DiNozzo, she is your partner, you are the one meant to be looking after her, your meant to have her six, if you are worried about her then go talk to her, find out what is wrong and see if you can fix it, you must always look after your partner, because they always have you six covered, so make sure you have theirs" Tony looked at him "so you want me to talk to out favourite ninja assassin, yeah you know boss I don't think that is gonna work you know Ziva, she doesn't talk about her feelings" Gibbs looked at him pointedly "well you wanted my advice and that is my advice, if your not gonna like it then don't ask for it DiNozzo" he pushed Tony's foot out of the door so that the elevator could shut and take him down to his favourite scientist.

"great talk boss" Tony muttered and looked towards the bullpen, Ziva was staring out the window with a worried expression on her face, he groaned, and then sighed, he moved forward and took a deep breath "hey Ziva" he said "where is Probie Wan Kenobi" Ziva looked up at him absently before pulling herself together "lunch run" she mumbled looking back down at her computer, Tony frowned and then leant on her desk "hey" he said "what is wrong Ziva, don't say nothing because I know you, you have been my partner for nearly 7 years and I can tell that something is bothering you, now what is it, spill" Ziva looked at him, she seemed kind of torn, like part of her wanted to tell him, but another part of her wanted to bottle it up, to hide it as she always did, eventually she made up her mind "I am fine Tony" she had said standing up, Tony groaned and then grabbed her arm and dragged her into the men's bathroom, ignoring her protests, he tugged her inside and then shut the door tight, leaning against it "ok" he said looking at her "Ziva I trust you with my life, I trust you to have my six and I trust you to be there for me when I need you, so now I want you to trust me, so tell me what it wrong Zee" she looked at him desperately "please Tony, do not push me with this" she begged trying to get past him, she seemed worried, Tony caught hold of her "c'mon Ziva I am worried about you please", her eyes suddenly filled with tears and he didn't know what shocked him more, the tears or the fact that she leant against him as she cried, he held her in his arms gently, murmuring that she was fine and that he was here for her.

After a few minutes she pulled herself together and after taking a few deep breaths she looked at him, she looked scared "Tony" she said softly "do you remember that night, a few weeks ago, during the Hudson case" he nodded and grinned "how could I forget sweet cheeks" she gave him a small smile "well um…. I'm…" she couldn't seem to spit it out, she looked terrified "Tony, I'm pregnant"

Tony froze, his mouth hanging open unable to process, Ziva… Pregnant. He stared at her as she watched him worried "m…mine" he managed, and she nodded. He stared at her again unable to speak, Ziva was pregnant, with his child, he was going to be a father, to Ziva's child, a baby, wow, they were going to have a baby. He couldn't believe it he couldn't move he was so shocked, he was so confused, he had never planned for this, he had never given kids much of a thought, he thought he would end up being an eternal stud, never settling down, but a baby meant commitment, to settle down to become a dependable man to whom his child could look up too, Ziva's child.

Ziva looked upset, her eyes were filling with tears again, suddenly she slipped past him and launched herself out the door, the spell holding him in place broke and he lurched after her in time to see her leap into the elevator that McGee had just exited bags of food in his arms, he sprinted after her "Ziva wait" he shouted slamming into the doors just as they closed "what's with her" McGee asked, but Tony didn't respond, he tore off down the stairs crashing round the corners in an effort to get there before she did, but he was out of luck, she was already gone when he crashed into the lobby, cursing he lurched towards the car park and was relieved to see her running towards her car.

"Ziva" he shouted again "wait Ziva please" he caught up with her as she tried to unlock her car, he grabbed the keys and stepped in front of her, instantly she turned, tears still running down her cheeks, Tony caught hold of her "Ziva please" he begged "talk to me, I am so confused" "what part of I'm pregnant is confusing you Tony" She cried "I am carrying a baby and it is yours, you don't have to be involved at all, I will take care of this child myself, I just thought you should know" "Ziva, don't, if you want to raise the child by yourself then why are you crying" he asked, she shrugged and tried to pull her car keys out of his grip, but he held onto them "Ziva, I don't want you to raise our baby alone" that made her stop "what" she mumbled "Ziva I love you, I have loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you, and I am overjoyed at the thought of being the father to your child, I want to be there, through it all, I don't want to miss a second of our baby's life, I am happy, I want to be there for you and baby for the rest of my life"

Ziva was staring at him stunned "you love me" she whispered, he nodded "always have and always will" he said firmly, she stared at him so confused, she had probably never had that before, someone tell her passionately that he loved her, she had been taught never to feel and never to become close to anyone, she looked at him and then buried her head into his shoulder and began to cry again sobbing uncontrollably, carefully keeping one arm around her, he unlocked her car and steered her to the back seat and sat down with her holding her tightly "hey" he whispered "hey it's gonna be ok Ziva, I'm gonna help you, we are gonna raise this baby together, I promise, I am never going to leave you or this baby I promise" she nodded into his shoulder "I know" she whispered "I believe you" "then why are you crying" he asked confused "because I am scared Tony" she sobbed "I am not ready to be a mother, I never thought I would be, I was raised never to have a child unless they would be raised to join Mossad as I was, my father he is going to be so mad, he will never let me keep this baby, he will make me get rid of them, or he will take them and train them into an agent, a killer, I don't want the life I had for my baby Tony, I don't want them anywhere near that life"

Ton hugged her "hey" he said firmly "the baby is going to be fine, I wont let your father get anywhere near them, and this is your baby, in your body, you are in control of your own body aren't you, you have to take control and make sure that you don't let you father control you, and I will be there for you, I will protect you and baby until my dying breath I swear to you" she sighed and nodded again her sobs slowly quietening down, Tony continued to hold her tightly for a while before he gently slid out and clambered into the drivers seat "what are you doing" Ziva mumbled "taking you home" he said sticking the keys into the engine "I am going to call Gibbs and tell him you threw up again so I took you home and as instructed I am going to have your six and make sure you are ok" she smiled at him gently "thank you Tony" she said softly, he looked at her in the rear view mirror "for what" he asked cheekily "for having your six or knocking you up" she shook her head "for everything" she said simply and he nodded and winked at her.

XOXOXO

When they got back to her apartment Tony sat her on the sofa "stay" he ordered "Tony" she complained "I am pregnant not an invalid" "yeah well I am gonna be a daddy, a strict responsible caring parent so I might as well start practising by caring for you" she smiled as he called Gibbs and told him he was caring for her as she was sick, he was backed up as she suddenly felt nauseous and bolted for the bathroom throwing up noisily "err gotta go boss" she heard Tony shout and then he was next to her cradling her, holding her hair back for her "this a new thing" he asked teasingly "lunchtime sickness rather than morning sickness", she elbowed him "I threw up this morning too" she mumbled, she sighed and leaned against him till she felt well enough to stand "wow" she heard Tony say and looked over to see him staring in her sink where the four positive pregnancy tests were still sitting, he looked at her "are you absolutely certain" he teased, and she rolled her eyes at him "I wanted to be sure" she said defensively.

He tugged her back into her living room and they spent the rest of the day flicking through the channels watching movies she had never heard of, he nattered all the way through them and she curled up next to him listening, eventually she tentatively lay her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly, he gently put one arm around her, Ziva smiled happily and then tired closed her eyes.

Tony sat still as she slowly lay her head on his shoulder, smiling softly he put his arm around her and she snuggled in, when he looked down at her a few minutes later she was sound asleep curled up on top of him, he smiled at her and then carefully slid out from under her and scooped her up, he carried her carefully into her bedroom and lay her on the bed, she mumbled as he did so but didn't open her eyes, he was just about to leave when she reached up and caught hold of his arm, "stay" she sighed and with a smile he kicked of his shoes and carefully lay down next to her, she rested her head on his chest and went back to sleep, he hugged her tightly listening to her breathing and tiny snores. Then he smiled.

"I love you Ziva and I promise to try to be a good daddy to your baby, and protect you both for the rest of my life, I will never leave you, not for the world, because I love you both more than life itself"

And with that he drifted off to sleep cradling Ziva in his arms.

**Hope you liked it, cool chapter to write, trying to pin point their feelings and express it in words. It is 6 pages so you better like it and you know what I would like in return for my efforts :P**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews, much appreciated, hope it is ok, dunno how long this is going to be but it could be long, could go all the way up to when their child is 12! Don't think I want to do it for that long though. Sorry for the delay, wanted to give my other books a good update before I continued with this one, they were getting neglected. So sorry about the delay, but for some of my stories I have been having writers block and unfortunately this was one of them, slowly getting over it now**

**Anyway hope you like it**

Chapter 4 – Discussions

The next morning Tony woke up with a gentle weight on top of him, he frowned trying to remember how drunk he had gotten last night if he couldn't even remember going to a bar. Then the events of yesterday came flooding back to him and he slowly opened his eyes and smiled at the beautiful Israeli lying curled up next to him, her head on his chest, she was still fast asleep, their hands entwined, she looked so peaceful when she was asleep, he watched her for a while allowing his mind to wonder. What were they going to do, Gibbs would be so mad at them, especially him, he was the senior field agent, he should be the responsible one, but he didn't care, he felt happy, he and Ziva were going to have a baby, together. He was so happy, he never thought he would be lucky enough to have a family and now he was getting one, hopefully, he did want to have a family with Ziva, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and he still didn't think that would be long enough.

He looked down at her, he had never seen her like he had yesterday, emotional and scared, she was a ninja, she was never scared, or she never showed it and then yesterday, it had all come tumbling out of the box she had locked it in, he had broken through her Mossad outer shell and released the loving warm emotional woman, he felt proud that he had released her, he had found out a way to make her more human, he ran his fingers through her long brown hair gently, he had loved her from the moment he had first seen her standing there confused thinking he was having phone sex, the way she had just dropped into McGee's chair and slouched provocatively, her rich brown curls framing her face which had smiled at him as she had taunted him and had him stumbling around her from then on, he had managed to pick himself up so he wasn't swooning over her all the time but it was there, his love for her, he had learned to hide it, thinking he could never be so lucky but it was always there and he had known it would never go away. But now he was lucky, he was going to start a family with the girl of his dreams.

He looked down as he felt her stir, she seemed confused at first as she stared up at him with her rich chocolate eyes, wondering why she was in bed with him, before her eyes widened as she remembered "good morning" he said "boker tov" she mumbled back and he smiled at the ease at which she could change tongues, she sat up then before her eyes widened and she leapt up scrambling for the bathroom, Tony leapt up and sprinted after her, she barely managed to throw herself down in front of the toilet before she was puking her guts out, once again Tony supported her pulling her hair out of the way whispering reassurances to her, she groaned and crouched there for a while, and Tony didn't leave her side.

Once she was sure she was done he helped her carefully to her feet, she smiled at him before sighing "I guess we need to sort a few things out huh" she said, he nodded and they sat down on the sofa together, Ziva let out a sigh and rested her head on his shoulder again, Tony wrapped one arm around her, they were silent for a few minutes before Tony said "ok first things first, how the hell are we going to tell Gibbs", Ziva looked at him sheepishly "well I wasn't planning to" Tony laughed "good plan, I like your thinking" she sighed "but he will have to know eventually, we can't hide a baby from him" Tony sighed, he knew she was right, "maybe we should wait until after you have had the baby" she looked at him sceptically "Tony do you know nothing about pregnancy, soon I am going to have a rather large and rather obvious bump between my hips, not something I can just dismiss as nothing, he will see it" Tony frowned "ok" he said "how about when you can't hide it any longer you take time off work, say that you want to visit your family in Israel or something and then hide until baby is born, he will still be mad but there is nothing he will be able to do"

Ziva thought about it before nodding slowly "that does sound sensible" she said uncertainly, then she smiled slightly "how do you think he will react" she asked and Tony grinned "well I who has been working with him for the longest think that he is gonna be pissed" he then shrugged "but you never know he might be happy for us" Ziva snorted "and cows might fly" _"pigs"_ Tony corrected "the saying is and pigs may fly" Ziva looked at him confused "what difference does it make" she questioned "cows are just as unlikely to fly as pigs" Tony opened his mouth to respond and then closed it before shrugging "ah I don't know, but who cares" Ziva smiled at him "what else needs discussing" she asked "where are we going to live" Tony asked, that made Ziva think "both of our apartments are only one bedroom" she said, Tony frowned "well I think we should look into getting a slightly bigger apartment and living in it together with our baby, but I meant now"

Ziva looked at him "what" she said "Zee I love you and this is me asking you to move in with me, so I can be there for you throughout this pregnancy" Ziva stared at him in shock, he gazed at her with his gold eyes, truthful and almost pleading, he was so sweet and honest, as she gazed at him she felt warmth inside of her, love she knew, slowly she leaned forward and kissed him softly but passionately, she felt him kiss her back and he ran his hands through her long dark brown hair "is that a yes" he mumbled between kisses, she smiled and closed her eyes pressing her lips lovingly to his "yes Tony" she breathed barely breaking the kiss "yes I will move in with you"

She felt his mouth turn into a smile and he was hugging her tightly "oh Zee" he mumbled and she smiled at her new nickname "oh I love you" she smiled and then whispered in his ear "I love you too Tony". "Tony felt his heart skip a beat as she said those words, joy surged inside of him, Ziva loved him, his feeling was mimicked in her own heart, he pulled away to look at her, and he gazed into her deep chocolate eyes.

At that moment the phone rang and smiling she picked it up and answered "hello" she listened for a few seconds and then her eyes widened "oh Gibbs yes, I am sorry I um must have overslept I will be there in as soon as I can" she listened again "Tony" she said "err well he err… left" she said "late last night after he knew I would be ok, it was very late so he probably overslept too, shall I stop by his place and wake him" she grinned at Tony her eyes sparkling, who pouted at her "yes Gibbs, alright, see you" she hung up and raised her eyebrows at him "that was one rather annoyed Gibbs wondering where the hell we are" "yeah" Tony said "I got that"

She smiled at him for a minute before she stood, slowly and carefully "come on" she said "we need to go to work, I have to drive to your place and wake you" he grinned "we had better go then" he said, they hurriedly got themselves dressed, they rushed out the door and drove quickly, stopping at Tony's so that he could change into fresh clothes and then they hurriedly – much to Tony's distaste – sped to work, slipping out of the lift together, claiming that Ziva had given Tony a lift as he had driven her home last night and his car was still here, Gibbs glowered at them briefly but he did soften and ask Ziva how she was feeling, to which she responded chirpily that she was much better, he looked at her oddly but didn't press her.

The day passed slowly for them and they had to fight not to smile at each other every time they looked at each other, they soon began their playful bickering banter that usually rang around their bullpen and things were almost normal again.

When they were finally allowed to go home they both drove to Ziva's apartment, Tony frowned as she grabbed some boxes and bags "err what are you doing" he asked, she looked at him as though it was obvious "packing" she said "so I can move, I have already thought about it, Gibbs never rings my home phone anyway so no problem there and he never visits either, the sooner we sell this place, the sooner we can look for something bigger" Tony grinned in delight at her and kissed her "oh how I love you Ziva" he said and Ziva felt her heart flutter when he said that, he loved her, she loved him and they were having a baby together, like a family, the family that she had always wanted.

**Hi sorry it is short, writers block and it has been so long I just want to update now, promise the chapters will get better and longer.**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone sorry, it has been so long, writers block still in place but determined to get over it and keep updating **

**Hope it is ok.**

Chapter 5 – Changes – For Better or Worse?

During the few weeks things moved pretty fast for Tony and Ziva, they moved into Tony's apartment which took a while mainly because Tony's apartment was a tip, they had to move everything onto the second bedroom and it was pretty full, Ziva only took what she needed and sold everything else along with the apartment, they became close, very close, but they continued to bicker and hide everything from the rest of the team, and they appeared to be doing a very good job as no one seemed to suspect them.

Ziva looked around the apartment as she ate some toast, she smiled as she observed the apartment, it looked a lot better than when she had first moved in, where there had been pizza boxes everywhere and clothes strewn all over the place and movies everywhere, she had spent time tidying everything up, Tony had protested at first but now he liked it, he grudgingly admitted, everything was neat and tidy and remained that way because every time he went to make a mess Ziva would glower at him and say that is she was to live with him, then she refused to live in a tip. He learned very quickly.

Ziva began to enjoy living with Tony, he was so sweet and always there for her when she needed him and although they continued to bicker and fight, their love only grew, he was there for her as she threw up every morning, cradling her and holding her hair clear for her, and every night when she began to have fear of being a bad mother overcome her, he had held her and comforted her, washing away her fears, and she his. He helped her grow accustomed to her newly shaped body, her new weight threw her off balance and she was no longer as lithe and as balanced as she had been, and Tony had been scared that Gibbs would become suspicious, especially when she nearly fell when at a crime scene slipping on a patch of water, she would have fallen if Tony hadn't been right next to her as always and had caught her, Gibbs had eyes them suspiciously, but as they started bickering a minute later he had let it go.

She was now 12 weeks pregnant and beginning to tire very quickly now, often she would power through work as always but when she got home with Tony she would just stop and it was as if the weight of the world was upon her, Tony often persuaded her to go lie down for a bit and she was often out like a light, sleeping until Tony had made them some dinner and then the two of them would just curl up together, discussing their future and their child, or bickering over stuff. They started to discuss names but as they both decided they wanted a surprise and to not find out the sex it was hard to come up with the perfect name.

They knew it would soon be time for Ziva to stop coming into work, for there was already a tiny bump forming between her hips, Ziva panicked when she first spotted it, but then she saw the delight on Tony's face, delight at seeing the proof that she was carrying his child, the bump was still concealable for now if she just wore loose clothing, but they both knew that soon Ziva wouldn't be able to hide it, Ziva wasn't looking forward to having to give up work for a bit but she knew it would be worth it in the end, she had gone to Vance yesterday and asked for some time off to visit a friend in Israel for a while, she said her 'friend' was pregnant and as they had been friends for a while she wanted Ziva to go see her, she would stay for a while and then go visit some other friends and maybe family whilst she was out there.

Vance had been surprised but had allowed it, obviously curious about why their crazy Mossad assassin wanted to be sentimental and visit a pregnant friend but obviously hoped it might make her more human to see a baby, Gibbs was suspicious too, but had just said she could go when she wanted.

Ziva slowly washed her plate before placing it back in the cupboard, as she did so Tony came out dressed but his hair still wet from the shower, he grinned at her as she smiled gently at him, things had definitely changed, that evening they were going to have a scan to check that the baby was ok, both of them were very excited but carefully containing it.

XOXOXO

Gibbs watched his two agents bickering as they worked, they were acting different, true the bickering was still there, but it was different, more friendly banter than their usual at each other's throats bickering. They often came in at around the same time too, often only a few minutes apart, and Ziva, well she seemed so tired and wary now; she wasn't leaping headfirst into danger anymore, she hung back slightly, with DiNozzo at her side. Tony had also become very protective of her, he watched her constantly and was always with her, assisting her, she gave him a few pointed glares but it didn't seem to bother her so much now, and now there was this thing with Ziva disappearing off to Israel for a few months, granted he knew it must be difficult for her to live away from home so much but she had stopped getting in contact with her family after her incident in Somalia, he watched them closely, things were different, but he hoped that they were not being stupid.

XOXOXO

Ziva looked up to see Tony gazing at her from his desk, she scowled at him, and then flashed him a warning glare, instantly he lowered his gaze, she shook her head exasperated before lowering her hand to her belly, placing her hand briefly on the bulge of her belly that was her growing child, she left her hand there for a minute before beginning to type again, she didn't want anyone to notice how she kept touching her belly, that would make them all suspicious, but she couldn't stop herself now, ever since she had first spotted the tiny bump, everything had become more real.

At that moment her phone rang and she answered it with her usual "_David_", at first there was silence then an angry voice spoke **"what have you done Ziva" **she blanched and stood up, she saw everyone look at her and Tony watch her concerned but she fled, she ran to an interrogation room and rushed inside the observation where no one would hear her, then she spoke in a whisper _"aba" _(father) he responded in Hebrew so she followed his lead **"what have you done Ziva" **he repeated

"_What are you talking about father" _she asked in fear

"**You know exactly what I am talking about Ziva, don't pretend, I know that you are pregnant"**

Ziva looked up briefly as the door to interrogation opened and saw Tony enter staring at her in concern and worry, she turned away as her father spoke again **"do you deny it Ziva" **she hesitated before responding _"no I don't deny that I am pregnant"_

There was an angry silence they her father spoke again **"well what are you going to do about it"**

She clenched her fists _"what do you mean by that"_

"**When are you going to get rid of it" **he demanded, angry she responded harshly "_I'm not getting rid of my baby father"_** "don't be stupid Ziva of course you are, you have too, you know the rules of Mossad, no children"**

"_I am no longer in Mossad father, I quit when I came back from Somalia, when I realised that you didn't care for me and that I was just your tool, I found out what it is like to have a real family here in America, I have been your tool for most of my life, now I want to live my own life, I don't want to be an assassin any more, I just want to be normal"_

"**You aren't normal Ziva, you cannot live a normal life, don't try, you won't be able to live a normal life with a child, get rid of the baby and we can work something out where you can come back to Israel where you belong"**

Ziva lowered her head and spoke quietly "_I belong in America now father, I am a citizen, I don't want to come back, I like it here"_

"**You mean you like that man who knocked you up"**

She clenched her fists harder _"don't talk about him like that" _**"did he promise to stay with you and help you, well he won't Ziva, he is American, wild and free, he will just run off when you need him most, then what will you do, you cant support yourself and a child, it will be better for the child Ziva for you to just get rid of them now"**

"_no" _Ziva said angrily _"I am not going to kill my baby, and I love Tony, I want to stay here with him and our baby, and he loves me"_ when her father spoke again he sounded slightly pitying of her **"wake up Ziva, stop hiding from the truth and open your eyes, you will raise this baby alone" **_"no I won't"_ she snapped "_you need to realise that I am no longer yours to control, I have my own life now, so you need to open your eyes to the truth that you have no control over me anymore"_

**Anger was prominent in her father's voice when he responded "Ziva last chance get rid of it or you have no place in this family" **Ziva felt a tear trickle down her cheek and then felt Tony's arms wrap around her and she clutched at one of his hands as she said with a heavy heart _"then I guess I don't have a father anymore Director David" _there was silence then **"you are making a huge mistake Ziva, and because of your defiance it will be your child that suffers, I will come for them Ziva, I will bring them back to Israel and they will join Mossad and they will fight, whether you like it or not Ziva they will, I will take them from you" **

Ziva gripped Tony's hand tightly _"no" _she said simply mustering up the last of her courage before saying with all the venom she could find _"you won't touch them" _there was silence then the line went dead. Ziva was trembling as she struggled to close the phone, then Tony's comforting hand closed it for her and as it snapped shut with a loud 'clack', the reality of her situation overcame her and she sank to the floor sobbing again, whilst Tony cradled her, whispering in her ear.

XOXOXO

Tony glanced up when Ziva's phone rang, trying to judge what the phone call was about, he wasn't expecting how she reacted, she visibly paled and then leapt up, white as a sheet and ran off, he glanced at Gibbs who watched her flee, then he glanced at Tony, he considered him before nodding and Tony shot off after Ziva just in time to see her disappear into an observation room where no one would be able to hear her, when he quietly entered she glanced at him but then turned away from him, speaking in rapid Hebrew, her voice was getting angry, then it quietened and began to be more pleading and he saw a tear run down her cheek, he went over and took her shoulders, and she caught hold of one of his hands with hers, leaning against him as she continued to speak, quietly pleading, then she spoke threateningly, then the call ended.

Tony could feel Ziva shaking next to him, she stood trembling slowly trying to close the phone, he very gently pressed it shut, the snap it made as it did so echoed around the small room, it was replaced by the sound of sobbing, and Tony realised that it was Ziva crying, she sank to the floor tears falling down her cheeks, Tony crouched and wrapped his arms around her whispering to her that it was ok, everything would be ok, and she clung to him.

Tony waited till she had managed to calm down, she clung to him with one had as her sobs slowly quietened, the other hand was pressed over her stomach, over their baby, slowly, gently Tony placed his hand over hers as he kissed her brow, "you ok" he asked softly, she nodded "what was that about" he questioned gently, slowly, stifling her sobs she told him what had happened, when she was done, he pulled her back into his arms hugging her tightly "its ok" he said firmly "we are going to be fine, I promise you Ziva I am never ever going to leave you or our baby, I swear, and you father will never hurt our baby" she nodded "I know" she whispered.

Tony looked at his watch "come on" he said "let's go, check out early and just forget about it ok" she nodded and they went the back way out, not wanting to go out via the bullpen, Tony sent McGee a quick text saying that they had checked out early though, they decided to go get some food in the hour they had before their appointment at the clinic for Ziva's 12 week scan. They split up and had it done quickly so they could take it home, though Ziva did loose Tony at one point, but he came hurrying back with a cheeky grin holding up some new movies, causing her to roll her eyes at him. They took their stuff home and unpacked it all having a friendly bickering banter about where it should all go. Then it was time to go to have the scan.

XOXOXO

Ziva lay in the chair nervous, she watched Tony pace back and forth, she could tell that he was nervous too, when he passed she reached out and managed to catch hold of him and push him into a chair, she gave him a look "sorry" he said with a sigh "it is just that after this when we have seen our baby for the first time it is all going to be so real" she smiled at him and gripped his hand comfortingly. Their doctor came in and after he took a few details, he sat down next to Ziva and carefully placed the cold gel on Ziva's belly, she started in surprise when it touched her skin and Tony gripped her hand tightly. Slowly the doctor traced the wand over her stomach until a grainy image appeared on the screen, Ziva heard Tony gasp but she was too busy staring at the screen, she felt a smile spread across her face as she stared, even though she was only 12 weeks she swore she could almost make out a head, tiny hands and feet and a tiny button nose, she couldn't stop gazing at the picture, until she felt Tony squeeze her hand, she turned to look at him and smiled at him, he was smiling proudly at her, his eyes slightly shiny, he kissed her brow and smiled at her "they're perfect Zee" he whispered "oh how I love you" she smiled "I love you too Tony" she whispered back before turning to gaze at the image of their baby.

She would never let her father anywhere near this beautiful child, she would protect them till her dying breath, they answered some more of the doctor's questions before he disappeared to get them some pictures of the sonogram, Ziva felt Tony take her hand, he kissed it and when he pulled away Ziva was stunned to see a diamond ring resting on her finger, she looked at him and saw that he looked nervous but determined "Tony" she breathed "what is this" "that is me showing you how serious I am when I promise you that I will never leave you Ziva, you are my world and I never want to lose you" slowly he got down onto one knee "Ziva I want to protect you and our baby from any harm that might come to you or them, and I want to show you that I will always be there for you"

"Ziva, will you marry me"

Ziva couldn't breathe, she stared at him, everything felt so confusing, she didn't know how to react, she had never been anywhere near this sort of situation before, she stared into Tony's hopeful eyes before she smiled at him and sat up to kiss him, she gazed into his eyes before grinning "yes Tony, of course yes, I would love to marry you" she loved seeing how his whole face lit up as he pulled her back into the kiss, she giggled happily. "great" Tony said happily "aw Gibbs is going to kill me when he finds out I married you and got you pregnant but ah hell I wouldn't have it any other way" Ziva smiled "so when do you want to do it" he asked "like soon or after baby is born", she thought "let's go now" she decided "just go to the registry and get it signed, make it official then maybe once we are out in the open and baby is born we can have a service or something" he grinned "sounds perfect to me" he said kissing her again "I knew you were the woman of my dreams Zee" she smiled at him. The doctor came back in and handed them the pictures and gave them some advice before allowing them to leave, eagerly they ran to a registry where they managed to get in, Tony dint take his eyes of Ziva throughout the whole thing, smiling as she spoke her vows and proclaimed her love for her, then he spoke his, lovingly and truthfully, the two of them bound themselves to each other. Had they been thinking straight they might have thought about it a bit more, but caught up in the moment they acted on impulse, but that was how the two of them liked things to be. Impulsive.

When they got home they went straight to their bedroom and made out for a while for the first time as husband and wife.

**Hi I know crappy ending but I just wanted to get a chapter in, I am so sorry for how long it has taken, but I wanted to finish one of my stories and then I hadn't updated the sequel in like forever and got wrapped up in that, and oh yeah, college is exhausting, I can barely find any time to write anymore, I am always working, so sorry updates might be slower now.**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi sorry for the delay again, college is so life consuming, I swear they don't want us to have a life at all :/**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews hope you like it**

Chapter 6 - Home is where the heart is

Tony sighed as he pulled up outside his apartment building, what a day, they had had a serial killer rushing round killing the daughters of marines, and they had been working almost no stop to try and catch him, he had been coming home long after Ziva had gone to bed and was leaving early in the morning, desperate to catch this guy, he had hated it, but they had caught him and saved a 16 year old girl from becoming his next victim, he groaned as he clambered up the stairs, if they had a girl he was never letting her out of his sight, well same if the baby was a boy too he supposed.

He carefully unlocked the door and poked his head round, Ziva was curled up on the sofa eyes closed in front of the TV which was showing some lame reality show, he winced at the sight of her asleep on the couch, she didn't look comfortable, her hand was resting over her now large belly, at now six months, she was getting big, she had been off work for 3 months now, and it was beginning to get to her, at first it had been ok and she could wonder around, but after a while when her pregnancy became too difficult to hide and she risked being seen by someone at NCIS they had realised that she couldn't go out and wonder so often, and as Tony wasn't keen on her driving, fearing that she might crash and kill both her and their child, she had to remain cooped up in the apartment, it was clear that she hated it, she was such a free spirit, now she was trapped in a small apartment unable to run or anything, this was not how his ninja assassin liked things.

Slowly and quietly he slipped into the apartment and hung up his coat, when he turned round he found Ziva's eyes locked on him, he winced "hey" he greeted moving over to her "sorry I am late, but we caught the serial killer" he didn't go into any more detail, he could see how much she missed work and didn't want to pain her by telling her about the excitement, she sighed and heaved herself into a sitting position "there is some food for you in the microwave" she said "sorry I was hungry" "no problem" he said moving over to grab the plate, he ate hurriedly before returning to the living room and carefully sat down next to his pregnant ninja wife, she didn't say anything, she just sat there, then she burst out, "I can't stand this anymore Tony, I hate having to stay here all the time I feel like I am locked up with nothing to do, I have watched every single movie you have, and I thought that would be impossible but no I have watched them all" Tony looked at the case of DVDs "all of them" he said dazed, wow she had been bored, he couldn't remember the last time he had seen half those movies. "Yes" she growled "I am so bored Tony, I have cleaned everything at least 50 times today and arranged everything, but I don't know what else I can do"

Tony reached over and tugged her into his arms, rubbing her back gently "hey" he said gently "I know how hard this must be for you, and I am so sorry, but you know what I think" she shook her head "it will so be worth it in the end, when we have a new bundle of joy running around" he placed his hand over hers on her stomach and she sighed leaning against him "yeah" she said "I know it will be" Tony hugged her before saying "I do have something you could do" she looked at him "what" she asked, he stood and went to his bag and pulled out a file "decide which one you like the most" he said, she took the file from him and opened it "apartments" she said in surprise, she looked up "three bedroom" she asked "really, that desperate for another after this one" he smiled "well if you are offering" he teased falling back onto the sofa and tugging her back into his arms so that she lay across him "I just thought we can afford it and it can be an office or a gym, or a man cave" he said, she grinned and looked through the listings "you have been busy" she said, he grinned "I like this one" he said selecting the sheet "three bedrooms, close to work and has a park opposite, where you can go running and we can take our kid to play and stuff, I know it is more expensive than the others but I think we can manage it"

Ziva studied the apartment's details "it does look nice" she said with a smile "well" Tony murmured into her hair as he kissed her "since I have been working overtime in the last case and am in desperate need of sleep why don't I call in some of my overtime hours tomorrow and we go check it out, before it is too late" Ziva nodded excitedly, desperate to get out "yes" she said "yes do that" he smiled and they lay there for a bit before tiny rubbed her arm, "let's go to bed" he said "you shouldn't be sleeping on the sofa, or can you not bare to miss the ending of whatever bad show you are watching" he gestured to the TV, she chuckled "oh I don't know it is pencilled me in" she said sarcastically, Tony laughed "I think you mean it has _drawn_ you in" she sighed and carefully sat up, he tugged her up and they went into the bedroom together and curled up side by side, in each other's arms.

XOXOXO

Ziva felt Tony's arm snake around her waist and pull her close, she resisted the urge to grin and looked at him pointedly with a look clearly saying 'now is neither the time or the place', but he was grinning cheekily at her and when she saw that cheeky grin and the mischievous glint in his eyes she couldn't hold back her own grin.

The woman showing them around didn't seem to mind, she just smiled at them as the elevator stopped and the doors opened with a ding. They followed her down the hall to a door which she unlocked and stepped aside to allow them to enter.

As Ziva stepped into the apartment and a warm feeling spread over her, a sense of comfort and belonging, as the woman launched into a well-rehearsed speech to Tony Ziva stepped away and began to look around, she moved into the kitchen looking around, then into the smallest bedroom which would be a perfect office, then into the master bedroom which was amazing, then she pushed open the door to the second bedroom and looked around, then she closed her eyes and smiled as she almost heard a child's laugh echoing around the apartment, squealing in excitement, then she could almost hear Tony laughing, his laugh mingling with the laugh of their child.

"Zee"

She turned to find Tony standing behind her watching her, he took one look at the smile on her face and smiled before turning to the real estate agent with a grin "we'll take it" he said.

XOXOXO

It didn't take long for them to pack up their stuff, Tony's movies took the longest, they moved over the weekend, much to Tony's relief he wasn't called in. it was hard enough for him worrying about Ziva, now she wanted to help, she was strong and she wanted to help carry everything, Tony constantly had to watch her, in the end he had her bossing all the moving people around about where to put everything, that seemed to pacify her slightly, he put all the furniture up and left her to do all the unpacking whilst he went to work, making her promise not to do any heavy lifting, it kept her content for a while which pleased him, their new apartment was perfect.

He came home a week later to find the last boxes unpacked, "Zee" he called as he dumped his bag and shrugging out of his jacket, "in here" he heard her call and he frowned and headed to the second bedroom, he pushed the door open and yelped "Ziva, what are you doing" "painting" she said as though it was obvious from where she was standing on the step ladder a pot of paint resting on the top step a paintbrush in her hand, the floor was covered in sheets and she was wearing an old NCIS gym top that like her was covered in paint. He looked around, he had picked up the paint yesterday intending to do it at the weekend, but she had beaten him to it, they had decided on a gender neutral pastel green for now as they didn't know the sex of the baby, and Tony had to admit, it was a nice colour.

"what do you think" Ziva asked looking pleased with herself "I have been painting for most of the day, it is actually rather relaxing" "um yeah it looks great, come on get down" he said moving towards her "you shouldn't be climbing Ziva, you could fall and hurt yourself and the baby" she gave him a look, "Tony I am perfectly fine, I have been up her for a while, and I am used to my new weight now, I won't fall" "yeah well doesn't mean I am not worried" Tony said "come one get down", grudgingly she took his hand and allowed him to help her down, he grinned at her "you are covered in paint" he said, she grinned "you can talk" she said, he frowned and then yelped as she jabbed the paintbrush as his neck, he staggered backwards, struggling to stay serious and glare at her, when all he wanted to do was laugh.

He brought his hand up to his neck and wiped the worst of the green paint away, then he advanced on her as she backed away giggling playfully, she made to duck past him but he caught hold of her gently and laughing kissed her neck, she turned to look at him and gasped as he poked her on the nose with his paint hand leaving a green spot, she burst out laughing again before flicking paint at him again, growling he released her to dip his hand in the paint pot at flick paint back at her, they carried on like that until laughing hard Ziva stumbled towards him, streaks of green paint in her hair, she laughed and put her hands up "enough" she gasped "don't ruin what I spent most of the day doing" she sighed then and leaned against him, they stood in the middle on the room looking around, painting the baby's room, certainly had made everything seem more real.

"you know what we need now" he murmured, she shook her head "furniture" he said with a smile, she grinned "I will look into it tomorrow" she said softly "come on" she said then tugging him out of the room "let it dry" smiling Tony followed her out, before he closed the door though, he took a long look around the room, 'not long now' he thought, in just over two months, this room would be occupied, with their son or daughter.

Ziva sank onto the sofa and when Tony joined her she sighed and lay her head on his shoulder "how are the team" she asked, he smiled "not bad, Abby misses you, she has pictures up all over her lab and keeps asking me every time I come in if I have heard from you" Ziva smiled "what do you tell her" she mumbled "no, and I promised I would tell her if I did, you might want to call her" he added "to stop her from trying to trace you, getting herself into a panic thinking it is Somalia all over again" she smiled slightly at that "maybe I will do that tomorrow" she mused "since I can't think of anything else to do from here" "you could learn another language" he suggested, she rolled over to give him that look that he knew only too well "Tony I am already fluent in 10 languages, I don't think I need to learn another" he shrugged "just a suggestion" she smiled "let's go to bed" she suggested "there is nothing more we can do tonight" he nodded and guided her to the bedroom, she curled up against his chest and he slowly placed his hand over her belly, Ziva fell asleep quiet quickly, exhausted after painting all day, Tony lay awake though.

Things were getting more real with each day that passed, he and Ziva had finally expressed their feelings, gotten married, moved into a new apartment, and lied to their boss, not to mention, they were having a baby together. He lay awake thinking, a baby, wow, he was going to be a father, that was what scared him, he might hide it from Ziva not wanting to worry her but that didn't mean he wasn't worried, he knew nothing about kids, so how was he meant to be a dad, how would they manage, there were to many things he and Ziva had considered, like schooling, and what were they to do with their kid when they had to work, who would leave early to take care of them if they were running late at work, he just hoped that once everyone got over the shock, they would be help them, he hoped Gibbs wouldn't be too mad at him, he wanted Gibbs to be ok with it, he was more his father than his own had ever been.

That was another thing, what to do about their fathers, he didn't know what to tell his father, he hadn't spoken to him in a while, he didn't really know if he even wanted his father to be in his child's life. Then there was Ziva's father, threatening to take their child away, to brutally train them to be an emotionless soulless kill, he had assured Ziva that her father would never touch their child but could he guarantee it? He would protect his child until his dying breath from Mossad and anyone else who would even try to hurt them but could he go up against the whole of Mossad? That didn't mean though that he wouldn't, if it meant protecting Ziva and their baby.

At that moment he felt something from under his hand, he frowned and looked down, then his eyes widened as Ziva stirred uncomfortably and her eyes opened and she too frowned "Tony what's wrong" she asked, but he shushed her and placed her hand next to his, her eyes widened in shock "the baby is kicking" she gasped in delight "oh" Tony felt a smile spread across his face as he felt his child kick again, Ziva was giggling softly in amazement even though it couldn't be very comfortable for her, she was just amazed, Tony wrapped his arms back around her and they lay there feeling the baby kick every now and then, when they finally settled Ziva closed her eyes still smiling, she felt Tony pull her close and kiss her gently, then she felt his hand stroke her belly and then heard him whisper "nothing will ever hurt you or you mommy I promise, I will always be there to protect you, until my dying breath, I will never leave you, I love you both so much" Ziva smiled gently, she knew he meant it, and for the first time in a while, she felt completely and utterly safe with her family.

**Hope you liked that, quite a sweet fluffy chapter I thought.**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone, hope you are all still enjoying this story as much as I like writing it, all the reviews give me the courage I have never really had and help me to gain the confidence to publish my work :D **

**Anyway hope you like it**

Chapter 7 – Times of Change

Tony sat at his desk listening to Abby chatter excitedly about her last conversation with Ziva, she didn't know he already knew it all, he had been at the other end of the phone listening to Ziva talk to Abby, describing in much detail how her friend was coping with her pregnancy, both times she had called she had been cautious worried that Abby might try to trace the call, the first time Tony had gone to her lab and the forensic scientist had been so excited to hear from her friend that she had forgotten completely about trying to trace her, and the second time they had waited until she was home, both conversations had been long and Ziva had been very cautious not to let anything slip, but Tony could tell she had enjoyed talking to Abby again both times.

Both of them were rather wired up now, Ziva was 8 and a half months pregnant and parenthood was literally just round the corner, along with coming clean about their relationship to the rest of the team.

Just as Abby was finishing her recap his phone rang, "s'cuse me Abs" he said and pulled it out, he froze when he saw the name flashing on the screen, instantly he flipped the phone open and pressed answer, before he could answer Ziva's voice came over the line, she sounded terrified "Tony" she gasped "hey what's wrong" at first she didn't answer she just gasped "Tony my water just broke"

Tony blinked "what" he stammered "Tony it's time, the baby is coming" she gasped "now" he mumbled "yes now" she snapped sounding more like the old Ziva, that made him snap into action "right ok, um stay calm I am on my way ok" then he leapt up and grabbed his bag, he was breathing hard and trembling, it was time. He bolted towards the elevator, he heard Gibbs bark out "DiNozzo" and then when he didn't respond "DiNozzo where do you think you are going" but he ignored his boss and slipped into the elevator seconds before the doors closed and jabbed the button for the lobby over and over again as if it would make it go faster, the moment there was a gap he could fit through he was out of the lift and sprinting to his car, the threw himself in and jammed the keys in, revving the engine, then he was off speeding out of the parking lot with a screech of tires and speeding home.

He raced down the hall throwing the door to their apartment open "Ziva" he shouted as he rushed in, he stopped when he was greeted by silence "Zee" he called softly, there was still no reply but the emergency bag was by the door and her keys in the bowl, slowly he moved into the apartment where he could her someone breathing hard, very slowly he pushed open the door to the bathroom to find Ziva sitting on the floor leaning against the bathtub, knees brought up to her round stomach, she was resting her head on her knees clutching her phone, she was sitting in a puddle of fluid. Slowly Tony crouched next to her; he could see she was trembling, and that shocked him, to see her scared again.

"Zee" he said softly, slowly she raised her head to look at him and he could see that her eyes were wide with fear "Tony" she whispered, he nodded not knowing what to do now, "I am not ready" she whispered "I am not ready to be a mother". Tony reached over and pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back "hey" he said gently "I am not ready to be a father, but do you know what someone once told me" she shook her head "he told me that you are never ready to be a parent, and that you are never completely experienced, you will never know what is coming next, but to be a parent all you have to do is be willing to see what happens, and if you think you know everything then you are wrong, and there is no such thing as a bad parent unless you a physically abusing your child, everyone is different and everyone will raise their child differently"

Ziva didn't move from where she was pressed against his chest, then she whispered "who told you that", Tony smiled "um some of it was my mate once he became a dad years ago and I think the rest of it was Gibbs, years ago" she smiled "always giving us advice" she mumbled, and Tony smiled at her lovingly. Then she winced and he snapped back into action "um ok, ur hospital" he asked, she nodded so he put his hands under her arms and pulled her up to her feet, then with her leaning against him he helped her out of the apartment, grabbing the bag as he passed.

XOXOXO

Ziva winced as another contraction came, she bent over clutching at her belly breathing hard until it ended, then she groaned and slumped back against her pillows, it was already lunchtime, she had been in here since 1000 hours, she heard the curtain being drawn back and Tony re-entered, he looked rather dazed, "hey" he said uncertainly "how's it going" she gave him a look "you try squeezing a small human out of a tiny hole and then ask me how it's going" he smiled at her and she sighed "sorry Tony" "it's ok" he said moving forward to give her a kiss "I understand, plus most of the other men here are having their second or third kid, they said don't listen to a thing your wife says whilst in labour, they are just in pain and stressed" she smiled "sounds like good advice, I will apologise in advance for anything I might say" he grinned again "duly noted" he said.

She gasped again as she felt another contraction, she groaned "uh this is worse than I thought" she mumbled, as she leant back his arms snaked around her hugging her "what Mossad didn't train you how to cope with childbirth" she elbowed him as he chuckled, a doctor came in then and checked her over "ok Ziva you are dilated 6cm so not long now then you can go into the delivery room, Ziva nodded biting her lip, she felt Tony take her hand and she gripped it tightly, just then his phone rang, he tugged it out and looked at it "Gibbs" she guessed, he nodded "that is like the 50th call" he said "I am so dead tomorrow, but what the heck, it will be worth it" and with that he turned the phone off and shoved it away.

XOXOXO

It was three hours later when Ziva was taken into the delivery room, she was dilated 9 cm but the pain was steadily getting worse for her, so they took her in, she could feel Tony trembling with anticipation as he clung to her hand his thumb tracing small circles on the back of it. She gasped in pain clenching her jaw, she heard Tony say for what felt like the 100th time "come on Zee, you are doing great , not much more now you are doing great" pain and worry made her snarl out "Tony if you say that one more time I am going to show you one of those ways to kill someone with a paperclip" she heard the doctor laugh "that is a new threat" he said, "oh that wasn't a threat" she heard Tony mutter, just then there was a fresh wave of pain that made her cry out, instantly the doctor readied himself "ok Ziva this is it I need you to push as hard as you can for me ok", she nodded her heart quickening.

"come on Zee show me some of that Mossad strength" Tony encouraged, she gave him a dirty look, as she stared into his eyes thoughts of what her father had said to her all those months ago came flooding back to her; _'did he promise to stay with you and help you, well he won't Ziva, he is American, wild and free, he will just run off when you need him most, you will raise this child alone'_

"Tony" she gasped in a sudden panic, he seemed to understand "I am right here sweet cheeks, I am not going anywhere I promise you" he said vehemently, she stared at him, there was honestly in his eyes and she calmed slightly, he smiled and kissed her forehead "come on" he said "it is time to meet our son or daughter" she nodded and took his hand that he offered her as another wave of pain overcame her, she gasped "ok" said the doctor "on the count of three Ziva I need you to push ok" Ziva nodded, and the doctor readied himself again "ok one, two, three, push Ziva"

Ziva pushed with all her strength, straining hard, gripping Tony's hand tightly, he was gripping hers back just was tightly supporting her, speaking encouragements, when she could push no more she fell back against the pillows gasping, she felt Tony brush his hand across her forehead, brushing her hair out of the way, "come on Ziva" he whispered "you are doing great" "ok" the doctor called "come on another push like that and your baby will be out" Ziva gasped and then before she was even asked she threw herself forward with a small snarl and strained again closing her eyes, she suddenly heard Tony cry out "Zee I can see the head, they are coming Ziva" desperate to end it, and to meet their baby, she put every bit of strength she had left into that final push, then just like that it was over.

Ziva fell back against the pillows, and Tony saw the doctor holding something small, then he heard a sound that made his heart soar, the wail of a new born baby. He gasped in amazement and leaned against the bed, that was it, it was official, he was a father, he looked back down at the bed, Ziva was breathing heavily her eyes on the doctor's back waiting impatiently, then at last the doctor turned "congratulations" he said as he lay the baby in Ziva's waiting arms "you have a daughter"

Tony stared as the tiny baby lying wrapped in a blanket in Ziva's arms, he had a daughter, a little girl, he smiled in delight as he watched Ziva and their baby, Ziva had an awed look on her face, which turned into an exhausted smile as she stared at the baby "a girl" she whispered "oh you are so beautiful" she told the baby who was stirring in her mother's arms.

"just like her mommy" Tony whispered, he kissed his wife gently on the forehead, Ziva turned to look at him and smiled tiredly, then she offered him their daughter, very carefully he took the tiny baby and stared at her, she was so small, and so light, she felt so fragile in his arms, as he stared into her baby blue eyes he felt warmth and love blossom inside of him, his daughter stared at him confused her breath coming in short sharp gasps "hey" he said softly, then he smiled "we still need to think of a name for you baby girl" he smiled at Ziva and carefully kissed their daughter on her tiny forehead before handing her back to her mommy, then he perched on the edge of the bed and put one arm around Ziva who leaned against him, they stared at their baby, so engrossed they didn't even notice the doctors leaving "what do you think" Ziva asked tiredly, slowly they went through all the names they had discussed on those evenings curled up on the sofa together, they went through new names too but they couldn't find the right name, they wanted something unique for their precious gentle innocent daughter, that was when Tony had an idea.

"what about Talia" he asked hesitantly, she looked at him in confusion "after your sister" he persisted "I know you loved her very much Ziva and it is a beautiful name" she smiled "you like it" she said "you wouldn't mind" he rolled his eyes at her "Of course not Zee, what do you think". They both looked at their baby, saying the name over and over again in their heads, and the more they studied their daughter, experimentally wiggling her limbs, the more they realised that the name was perfect for her, Ziva smiled and nodded "yes" she said softly, Tony grinned "it is perfect for her" he said with a grin.

Ziva smiled at her daughter "Tali" she crooned rocking her gently, she stared up at her parents in confusion, "any ideas for a middle name" Tony asked, she looked at him, she already knew, she smiled "I like Kaitlyn" she said softly, Tony smiled at her and squeezed her gently, they both looked at the baby "Talia Kaitlyn DiNozzo" Tony said giving it a try "I like it" he said with a grin, Ziva smiled and they both looked at Tali, "hey" Ziva whispered as she wiggled again "she is active" Tony commented, Ziva smiled and rocked her gently, causing her to settle.

Tony watched her eyes travel round the room, then they landed on him and they captured his heart, he knew from that moment, he was wrapped round his daughter's little finger, under her spell and there was no escaping. He was, and always would be, at her complete mercy.

A doctor came in with a hospital crib and helped them fill out the forms, then after giving both Ziva and Tali a check over, he left and with a small sigh Ziva handed Tali over to her father "get some sleep" Tony said softly "you deserve it" she smiled and rolled onto her side curling up, a few seconds later she was fast asleep, dead to the world.

Tony walked round the room, bouncing Tali gently, rocking her from side to side, "you are going to be totally spoilt" he told her "and not just by me and your mommy, but by the rest of your family at NCIS, there is Uncle McGee, he will be your uncle to go to tease, trust me I do it all the time, you will soon pick it up, then there is your Grandpa Ducky and Uncle Palmer, but I call him the autopsy Gremlin" Tali made a small mumble and stared at him "yeah I know, but he looked like a gremlin, now you can go to them it you get a cut and need patching up or if you are really bored and you have a lot of time on your hands, you can go down and ask for a story, I can guarantee you will be there for hours" he walked over to the window and looked out "then there is your Auntie Abby, now she might be a bit overwhelming at first, but you will get used to her, and you will love her, she is going to adore you and spoil you, when you are older she can teach you loads of science too, though make sure it isn't science that will enable you to blow stuff up"

He looked down at his daughter, her eyelids were drooping with tiredness "and last but not least there is Gibbs, I dunno if he will be Uncle Gibbs or grandpa Gibbs but he can decide, he is going to be your godfather too your mommy and I decided, and believe me you would be hard pressed to find a better godfather, he will be amazing, he is like a father to me and I hope he will be something like that to you though he can't be a father because I am you daddy and that is not a title I want to share" he smiled her eyes had closed now though she was still stirring "he will protect you and guide you and if for some horrible reason your mommy and I can't be there for you he will be, I promise you Tali you will be so loved"

Slowly and carefully he lay her in the crib and covered her with the blanket "I promise you Tali, I will do everything in my power to protect you and I will always love you, no matter what" he brushed her cheek gently "always and forever, my little princess"

**Hope you liked it, I know it was shorter than the other but that seemed like a good place to stop.**

**Next time – the truth comes out to the rest of the team hehe**

**If you can't wait to find out what happens then you know what to do :D**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys thanks for all the reviews, much appreciated as always hope this one lives up to the expectations of you all :D**

Chapter 8 – Coming Clean

When Ziva woke the next morning she found the hospital room void of Tony, she instantly rolled over and carefully clambered out of the bed and crept over to the crib, eager to see her daughter again, she smiled when she saw baby Tali lying on her back, eyes closed one fist clenching and unclenching as she slept, Ziva just stood and stared at her for a minute, gazing at her in wonder, she was still unable to believe it, she was a mother.

At that moment Tali stirred and let out a tiny whimper, her eyelids fluttering, "shh" Ziva whispered "it's ok tateleah, you're ok, I am here" she said as she lifted her baby carefully out of the crib laying her in her arms rocking her gently as she whispered words of comfort to the tiny child, she was so engrossed in what she was doing she didn't notice Tony reappear in the doorway and watch her with a proud smile on his face.

When she finally turned and spotted him she grinned at him happily "hey" she said "hey" he replied moving over to give them both a kiss on the forehead "where did you go" Ziva asked "home" he said " I spent the night here, but went home to wash and change and realised we you might need clothes and Tali might need a couple of baby grows and I thought a car seat might be useful" he said holding one up "believe me these are impossible to install into the back of the car but I think I have it" Ziva laughed.

The doctor reappeared on his morning rounds and gave them both a check over, he pronounced both Ziva and Tali as fit and healthy and decided that they could both be released after breakfast, so Ziva happily pulled on the clothes Tony had brought for her whilst Tony hugged Tali murmuring gently to her, then they carefully dressed her and ate their breakfast, a doctor came in and gave them all sorts of advice on looking after Tali, then she signed their release papers, and Tony and Ziva were ready to face parenting on their own.

When they got down to the car Tony spent a good 10 minutes making sure that the car seat was fitted correctly before he allowed Ziva to place Tali in it and buckle her up, he insisted on driving. "Tony" Ziva growled as she clambered into the passenger seat "you can't drive all the time, I promise I will go careful now I have Tali" he didn't look convinced but agreed. As they drove Tony decided it was time to decide their next move, "so when are we going to come clean to the team" he asked "today" Ziva said, he blinked and looked at her "um are you sure" he asked, she looked at him "Tony I am tired of hiding, I want to see my friends, my team again, and I want them to meet Tali so they can be a family to her" Tony looked at her and then he nodded "ok" he said "but go home first ok, let me go in and make sure Gibbs isn't in a particularly bad mood" she nodded "I need to wash anyway" she said.

When they arrived at their apartment building, Tony looked at the clock, he was already late for work so with a shrug he got out and picked up Ziva's bag as she carefully lifted Tali out and hugged her against her chest, Tony grabbed the car seat too and then held the door open for her as they made their way into their building, once they were in Ziva was surprised to see that Tony had already set the Moses basket up for Tali and had unpacked a few toys for her, he smiled "well I didn't know you wanted to come back to work right away" he said, she smiled "you had better go" she said "otherwise Gibbs will be in a bad mood, I will see you soon I promise, I will probably come in at about lunch time" he nodded and gave her a kiss "prepare yourself" he said, "this is definitely going to be interesting" she smiled and hugged him tightly, he said goodbye to the sleeping Tali before carefully and quietly leaving.

Ziva took the opportunity whilst Tali was sleeping to wash herself leaving the door open in case she should wake, but she didn't, she slept on, she ate a bit more food, as hospital food was not very filling before she heard a tiny cry, instantly she was back in the living room, scooping her daughter up whispering gently songs her own mother had sung when she was little to her in Hebrew bouncing her until her cries became whimpers and then mere murmurs, she fed her and burped her before just rocking her gently from side to side, when her phone bleeped signalling that she had a message, she opened it to see that it was from Tony; '**Boss man seems to b in ok mood, think it is safe, Abz is up so soon might b good, love u both xx' **

She smiled and replied _'heading out now, b there soon, don't worry will drive safe, xx'_

She looked at the baby resting her head over her heart, eyes drooping again "come on Tali" she whispered "time for you to meet the rest of your family" she found the baby bag she had brought and filled it with the necessities plus a few extra things, she found the soft little blanket they had bought and offered it to Tali, instantly her tiny hand closed around it and she clung to it making Ziva smile, she grabbed the car seat again and carefully lay Tali in it covering her with the blanket that she clutched, instantly the baby closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, she carried her down to her car and very carefully strapped her in. As she had promised to Tony she drove very carefully to NCIS, keeping the ride as smooth as possible to avoid waking Tali.

When she arrived, she sat for a minute, twisting her wedding rings round her finger, before she took a deep breath and climbed out of the car, she carefully lifted Tali out of the seat, her daughter didn't even stir as she transferred her from the seat to her arms, she just clutched her blanket, she grabbed the bag and then found her ID and made her way into the building. It was almost comical to see all the security guards faces when they saw her, the crazy Israeli Ex –Mossad agent with a baby, they were so stunned that they just stared at her "hello" she said brightly as she passed them, they just gaped, she grinned to herself as she stepped into the elevator but as the doors closed and the journey up began, the grin slid off her face and she could feel her stomach churning with nerves, what if Gibbs was so mad that she was forced to leave, then what? She would hate to have to leave NCIS, she knew that she and Tony might not even be allowed to work on the same team any more, one of them would be transferred and it was not their decision to make, but at least they would still see each other, she shifted Tali into a more comfortable position in her arms before taking a deep breath as the elevator stopped and the doors opened with a ding, it was time.

XOXOXO

When Tony arrived at work, he exited the elevator almost cautiously, McGee was sitting at his desk but there was no sign of Gibbs, when he saw Tony the young agent's face split into a relieved look "where the hell have you been Tony" he hissed "the boss has been pissed" "personal matter probie" Tony hissed back as he sat back at his desk, he instantly continued with yesterday's work until the boss reappeared, "DiNozzo" he growled "yes boss" Tony said meekly "come here" slowly Tony edged over to where his boss stood "what the hell was with you yesterday DiNozzo" he growled "why did you run out of the building, and why did you turn you phone off, Rule 3" "never be unreachable" Tony said instantly, then he yelped as Gibbs hand collided with the back of his head "yep I know I was unreachable" Gibbs looked at him "got an excuse" he asked curtly "personal matter" Tony said "but I am sure you will find out soon enough" he turned to walk back to his desk "and I will get another head slap so hard I will go into a coma" he muttered.

He waited till Gibbs had calmed down and Abby had appeared obviously bored with nothing to do down in her lab, she perched on the edge of Gibbs' desk and chattered to him happily, surreptitiously, Tony texted Ziva that it was safe, and got the reply saying she was on her way. After that it was a nervous wait, he tried to figure out what to say to Gibbs but he couldn't think of anything that would make their boss less mad.

He glanced at the clock every few seconds shifting nervously in his seat, then at last the elevator opened with a ding and Ziva stepped out with his daughter cradled in her arms, everyone in the bullpen stared at her, along with a few people from other bullpens, she stepped into theirs and smiled at them all as she lowered the bag she was carrying to the floor beside her desk. "Ziva" Abby squealed and flung herself towards Ziva who laughed in delight to see her friend, she took a step backwards to prevent Abby from crashing into her and released Tali with one hand to hug the exuberant scientist "careful Abby" she said softly, Tony saw Abby frown and step back, Ziva looked around at them all and then she slowly tilted Tali so that everyone could see her, Tony saw everyone's mouths drop when they realised what she was holding.

"um Ziva" McGee was the first to break the silence "what is that" Tony rolled his eyes, well duh "it's a baby McGoo" he said giving the young agent a look, "oh my" Abby gasped moving forward again to get a closer look, with a smile Ziva transferred Tali into Abby's arms, he saw her stir but she didn't wake, "she is beautiful Ziva, who's is she", Ziva bit her lip "um" she said glancing at Tony who nodded "she is mine" she said, they all stared at her again "what, since when Ziva" McGee asked confused, Tony didn't really blame in, he supposed this was quite big news "she was born yesterday McGee at 1348 in the morning" Ziva said proudly gazing at Tali, her eyes filled with love, Tony smiled and stood, he went round his desk to stand next to his wife, he squeezed her hand and she smiled at him.

"oh my" Abby breathed again from where she was gazing at Tali in awe "she is yours Ziva? Oh she is gorgeous, I want one" both Tony and Ziva smiled, Abby looked up "so the story about your pregnant friend was just that" she said "a story" sheepishly Ziva nodded "why didn't you tell us" Abby cried "it was complicated Abby and I was just scared" Ziva said, Tali was beginning to stir again and she began to fuss, Ziva slipped forward and took her baby back from Abby, bouncing her gently, kissing her forehead, Tali quietened when she realised she was back with her mommy, McGee was the one to ask the question everyone was thinking and the one that both Tony and Ziva were dreading having to answer "who is her father Ziva" he asked gently.

Ziva bit her lip and both she and Tony glanced at Gibbs who was watching silently, his eyes on Tali, but when she hesitated, his eyes flicked back up to Ziva and Tony took a step back worried, Ziva stared at her boss, almost begging him to understand before she replied "Tony"

Again everyone's jaws dropped, "yes" Ziva said defiantly, looking over her shoulder at Tony, she gave him a worried look, "we named her Talia Kaitlyn DiNozzo". Gibbs stood up, and Tony backed away faster, "DiNozzo" his boss barked and with a wince he back tracked back into the bullpen to stand next to Ziva, Gibbs strolled round his desk, Gibbs came and stood in front of them "you got David pregnant" he growled, Tony winced and took a deep breath "actually" he said shifting, he took Ziva's hand tilting it so that her rings could be seen "it is also DiNozzo now", Gibbs stared at them 'I am so dead' Tony thought, he glanced down at Tali, her eyes were fluttering open, he slowly touched her warm soft cheek lovingly, before looking back at his boss who stormed forward "does rule 12 mean nothing to you two" he growled, and Tony felt his bosses hand collide with the back of his head not once but twice "ow" he complained rubbing his bruised skull "the second was for you Ziva, but I won't hit you whilst you have a child in your arms" Tony could see that Ziva looked quite relieved.

"seriously" Gibbs continued "I set rule 12 to make sure nothing like this would ever happen, because now you two are going to have to change things, you will have to change your work hours, Ziva you won't be able to do dangerous work at least until she is older, you will have to have leave for a bit until she is ready to be left, oh and then what are you going to do, hire a nanny" he growled and flung his hands up in the air "and what the hell are we going to do when we need you now, we can't just call you both up when we need you at any hour can we because there is a baby to take into account", he did look pissed, McGee and Abby were watching awkwardly but they still looked stunned and their eyes were travelling from Tony to Ziva and down to Tali nestled in her mother's arms, slowly Tony took Ziva's hand and squeezed it again, and they stood there allowing their boss to rant.

When he paused for breath Ziva took her chance she stepped forward dragging Tony after her "we were hoping you would help us Gibbs" she said pleadingly "I know things will have to change and we have thought a bit about it, but we want you all to be there for her, as you have all been there for us, you are her godfather Gibbs" she saw his eyes soften and some of his anger seemed to melt away, as he paused, encouraged she continued "we would like it if you would help us, you have been a father to us over the years, there for us whenever we needed anything showing us affection that I know for certain my father never showed me, we are hoping that you would show the same affection to Tali" Tony nodded watching his boss carefully, he was staring at them, his anger seemed to have disappeared, he was looking exasperated now, just then Abby spoke up "I will help" she said eagerly "I can look after her whilst you are all out in the field"

Gibbs looked at her "Abby" he said "she can't stay in your lab, what if she contaminates something" "Gibbs I am not an amateur scientist, I think I know how to keep her away from my samples, I mean come on, look at her, she is tiny" "well she is gonna grow Abs" he said "and what about when you are busy", awkwardly McGee spoke up "I don't mind looking after her either" he said "I mean she can't be worse than Tony" everyone cracked a smile at that, Gibbs looked at his team, all of them willing to help Tony and Ziva with their baby, he looked back that them, both of them were staring at him pleadingly, Tony had his arm around Ziva and she was leaning against him, he sighed.

Ziva moved forward "I would like to get back to work" she said and before he would protest she placed the baby into her boss's arms, Tony watched as Gibbs made to protest but Ziva was already sitting behind her desk, he looked down at the child in his arms and his face softened, Tali shifted again and opened her eyes, he stared back at her "well played Ziver" he said grudgingly completely won over by the tiny child, he walked slowly back to his desk rocking her gently from side to side, she yawned and continued to look up and him confused but curious, he slowly sat down "Tali" he said softly, using the tiny child's name for the first time, Talia Kaitlyn, he smiled named after Ziva's sister and Tony's partner, two strong women, two strong names, for this beautiful strong child. Just then the tiny child made a tiny chirping sound and he couldn't help but chuckle, then she gave a tiny smile that made him smile.

Tony watched his boss cradle his daughter, he sighed in relief when he saw him smile, just like with him Tali had won him over, a few minuites later once Gibbs sseemed to have definately be won over by Tali and Abby was standing behind him making baby faces at her, Ducky came up with an obviously curious Palmer behind him "what on earth is wrong Timothy, you made no sense on the phone, oh" he said spotting Ziva "ah my dear, so good to have you back" Ziva smiled as she stood up to hug him "hello Ducky I have missed you" "and I you my dear" he said "do you know what is wrong with Timothy" Ziva grinned "indeed I do" she said, she lead him over to Gibbs and their boss handed her back her daughter "Ducky, Palmer, there is someone I would like you to meet" she said turning, they both stared in shock at Tali "I would like you to meet my daughter Talia Kaitlyn DiNozzo"

They both blinked "DiNozzo" Ducky managed to stammer "as in" he glanced at Tony who nodded, a grin splitting across his face "I am a daddy" he said proudly "I have a daughter" Ducky grinned "ah congratulations the pair of you, I have to admit I thought that you to might end up together one day, though with Jethro's strict rules I feared it might not happen" he glanced at Gibbs who was watching with raised eyebrows "and err how do you feel about this Gibbs" he snorted "I am not impressed" a small smile came onto his face "but I will accept it" then he rolled his eyes "and I suppose I will help too with Tali" Ziva grinned happily "may I" Ducky asked looking at Tali and Ziva passed her over, Ducky smiled "well hello there miss Tali, look at you, you are a sweetheart aren't you, I can tell you will be a heartbreaker when you are older, the boys will be queuing up to ask you out" Tony snorted "not likely" he muttered and he saw Gibbs give a small smile, Ducky grinned "yes they will have to face your father first" he said, Tali was watching him curiously "well I have to say Ziva, she is certainly very strong, just like you" Ducky said, he smiled and looked at her, Tony stood up then and moved over to take his daughter, everyone watched him curiously, wanting to see how he would act with his child.

He seemed oblivious to everyone watching, Gibbs could see the love in his eyes as he cradled her, Tali was watching him curiously, another grin spread across her face "hey there my little princess" Tony murmured "seems like you have everyone here wrapped round your little finger hey" she chirped again and Ziva grinned at the sound, everyone was smiling now, Tony bounced her again before turning and seeing everyone looking at him he gave them a look "what" he said, everyone just smiled.

"can I have another hug" Abby begged coming forward, Tony nodded and handed her his daughter, soon Abby was busy cooing, Tali chirped and that only increased her cooing making Tali chirp more. She was passed from loving embrace to loving embrace for the rest of the afternoon, though she spent the longest in the arms of her Grandpa Gibbs, he slowly seemed to accept what his two agents had done after they had told him everything, about how it had all began with the Hudson case all those months ago "glad you didn't turn your equipment on" McGee commented, how Ziva had found out about her pregnancy and had been scared, how she had told Tony and he had told her the truth that he had been pretending didn't exist for all those years, how still scared they had decided to keep it a secret.

As they were preparing to leave Gibbs stood up Tali still in his arms "Ziver I want to talk to you" he said and walked off, Ziva looked at Tony, she squeezed his hand and then jogged off after their boss, he took her into an observation room, where he handed her Tali and then studied her, she stared at him uncertainly "you know that you will have to talk to Vance" he said, she lowered her head and nodded "I know one of us will most likely have to move teams" he looked at her "do you want to move teams" he asked, she shook her head "of course not and I don't want Tony to have to move either, those three months before I left when I was pregnant we worked well together, not much different than usual, I want things to be how they were Gibbs, but with Tali" she rubbed her daughter's back, Gibbs looked at her "why did you keep it a secret" he asked "we would have helped" she sighed "you have been like a father to me Gibbs, and I knew you wouldn't be happy, I was scared, but the main reason I hid it was because of my father, but it didn't work" she told him of what he had said to her.

Gibbs moved forward and pulled her into a hug "Ziver" he said "I wouldn't have been happy, but I would have accepted it, because you and Tony accepted it and will make wonderful parents, I can see that you hid it to make things work, you did so much so that your daughter would have a good life, and I am proud of you Ziver, I can tell you will be a wonderful mother" Ziva smiled at him "thank you Gibbs" she whispered "and about your father" he said, he looked at Tali snuggled up against her mother's chest "Tali is part of our team now Ziva, part of our family, she is my granddaughter" Ziva smiled "your father will never take her Ziva, he will never make her Mossad, I promise you, we will all protect her till our dying breath" she smiled feeling tears in her eyes "thank you" she whispered.

Gibbs looked at her long and hard "are you happy Ziver" he asked seriously, she looked back at him straight in the eye "undeniably" she said, he smiled and then kissed her forehead "then you have my blessing" he said softly "both of you do, though tell you husband that if he ever hurts either of you I will kill him" Ziva smiled "he won't" she said "he promised me and I believe him" he nodded. He looked at Tali "she is very lucky Ziver" he said "to have such wonderful parents" she smiled down at her daughter "and I feel blessed to have her" she whispered "she is perfect" Gibbs nodded "that she is" he said "now go home, poor girl must be exhausted, one day old and already out all day, and you get some sleep, you can't have had much recently" she smiled "thank you Gibbs" she said and the two of them left the observation room.

As they walked back she asked "I want to come back to work Gibbs, can I" he looked at her "after you and Tony talk to Vance" he said "but you are on desk duty" she pouted but then nodded "I suppose it is for the best" she murmured "can I bring Tali in tomorrow" he shrugged "she might win Vance over for you" she laughed.

Tony was waiting for them and moved forward looking relieved, Gibbs took him to one side and murmured something in his ear that made him pale slightly then he looked back at his boss and said something honestly and proudly, Gibbs gave him a smile then and clapped him on the shoulder and Tony hurried over to them.

XOXOXO

When they arrived home, Ziva fed Tali again and then once she was ready carefully began to rock her to sleep, as she did so a Hebrew lullaby that her mother had sung to her to send her to sleep came to her and she slowly and gently began to sing it swaying from side to side as she did so, Tony leaned on the doorframe watching and listening a proud smile on his face, once Tali was asleep Ziva lay a kiss on her cheek "I won't let anything happen to you my tateleah, I promise you, my father shall not make you Mossad, you will be protected, by all of your family, I promise you" then she slowly and carefully lay her in the Moses basket again and whispered "I love you" then she stood and watched the tiny baby shift into a comfortable position clutching the corner of her blanket, then she moved into the kitchen and prepared some bottles for in the night, then she and Tony yawning crept back into their bedroom and tumbled into the bed, both of them snuggled up together, listening to their baby breathing in her sleep.

Tony smiled, he was so lucky, and like Ziva he was undeniably happy.

**Hope it was ok, I had to have him a bit mad at them but that is how I think Gibbs would react, hope you agree.**

**If you can't wait to find out what happens then you know what to do :D**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi thanks for all the reviews, glad you liked it **

**Hope this one is ok too**

Chapter 9

Tony mumbled as he heard a wail ring through the night, he sighed and rolled over in bed, beside him Ziva stirred, and he saw her eyelids flutter "I'll get her" he mumbled placing his hand on her shoulder briefly before swinging himself out of bed, he stumbled over to the basket at the end of their bed.

Tali was kicking her legs, eyes still closed crying out loudly "shh" Tony mumbled as he carefully picked her up, he rested her against his chest "hush little princess you will wake up mommy" she continued to cry as he quickly walked into their living room shutting the bedroom door behind them, he quickly made his way into the kitchen and started to warm a bottle of Ziva's milk up, rocking her whilst he waited, her cries lessened though she continued to almost grumble at him, he sighed and rested his head carefully on hers as she lay across his bare chest, once the bottle was ready he carried it and Tali back into the living room where he perched on the end of the sofa and offered her it nozzle.

She took to it instantly grabbing it in her mouth and she began to suck hard, he was surprised by her strength, he just watched her as she drank, he soon found himself smiling at the little noises she made, the small mumbles of pleasure as she had her hunger sated, she watched him with her big blue eyes, it made him wonder what colour they would become, maybe Ziva's chocolate brown that he loved so much, or maybe his own hazel colour, he smiled, he couldn't wait to find out. Tali already had a light fuzz of hair on the top of her head, it was dark but there was too little to tell the colour at the moment but he hoped that it would be the same colour as Ziva's, he loved her hair colour, he already thought she was a lot like Ziva, she had the same slightly darkened skin tone as her mother, he thought it made her look gorgeous.

Once Tali had finished her bottle he rubbed her back until she burped, then when she began to wail again he placed her back on his chest and began to walk round with her swaying gently as he saw Ziva do, the swinging motion and the comfort seemed to calm her and she slowly closed her eyes again, her tiny fingers digging into his skin as she clung to him. Tony waited until he heard her breathing slow to a gently rhythmical sound before he carefully pushed the door to their bedroom open again, he could see Ziva stirring in their bed as he carefully walked over to the basket and lay Tali down in it again, she mumbled but didn't start to fuss again as he tucked her in.

Then yawning he fell back into their bed, Ziva rolled over "she ok" she mumbled "yeah" he said with a yawn "fed her, she should be good for a few hours" Ziva nodded and curled up against him, she was still exhausted after being up for half the night in childbirth and then at NCIS for the rest of the day, he didn't want her to get too sleep deprived as that was when the Mossad, grumpy part of her came out. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, it wasn't long before she was sleeping again, exhausted he closed his eyes again, then he too, drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

XOXOXO

When Tony woke the next morning the bed beside him was empty as was Tali's little crib, he could hear movement in the kitchen though, so he grunted and hauled himself out of bed, Tali had gotten him up again in the night and Ziva once as well, by the sounds of it she had awoken early too. He dressed slowly yawning the whole time before heading out of the bedroom, Ziva was sitting on the sofa with Tali on her lap, the tiny baby was leaning against her mother chest her eyes travelling around the room, "morning" Ziva said when he came out "are you sure" he mumbled heading for the kitchen to get some coffee "too tired" he moaned, she smiled tiredly back at him, they were both tired, but they both knew it wasn't going to get much easier.

Both of them were also nervous about how today would turn out, they were going to talk to Vance and their futures at NCIS would be decided, they left for work early arriving before McGee but not before Gibbs, he looked up as they entered, a small smile crossed his face when he saw their exhausted expressions "rough night" he asked innocently, they both mumbled in response and he chucked "get used to it" he said "it will get worse before it will get better" "how can it get worse" Tony asked setting Tali's carrier on his desk. Gibbs stood and came round his desk, Tony unstrapped Tali and handed her to his boss, Gibbs took her gently before looking at Tony "how many times did she have you up" he asked "four times if you count the extremely early morning" Tony responded, Gibbs smiled "only four" he said "yeah, it will get a lot worse DiNozzo" he walked back to his desk with Tali leaving both Tony and Ziva staring after him in shock, then they both looked at each other helplessly.

McGee came in and greeted them cheerfully before staring at Tali again, as though checking that yesterday hadn't been a dream, Abby came up and began to coo at Tali who obviously recognised her as her eyes began to wonder around, Abby giggled at her "oh you are so cute" she gushed, then she looked up at Tony and Ziva who just stared at her dully "what" she asked, they both just groaned, Gibbs smiled and looked at Abby "they are experiencing every part of parenting Abs, including the long sleepless nights part" "oh" Abby said "don't worry it will get better" she said "after it gets worse" Tony mumbled, resting his head on his desk.

At that moment there came a shout of "DiNozzo, David" Tony's head snapped up and they both looked up to see Vance standing on the next level staring at them "my office" he said before turning and walking back into his office, Tony and Ziva both looked at each other worried before looking at Gibbs as he stood, he walked round and handed Ziva her daughter whom she cuddled protectively against her chest, then she and Tony slowly headed out of the bullpen and up the stairs, Gibbs looked after them and then he sighed before he too headed up the stairs catching up with them, they both smiled gratefully at him before they stepped forward and he followed them into Vance's office.

XOXOXO

When they entered Vance was sitting in his chair and he did not look happy, Tony and Ziva stood in front of his desk whilst Gibbs leaned against the wall watching. Vance stared at the two agents in front of him before he interlaced his fingers leaning on the desk "well I have to say, there are a lot of agents who I have been worried about deciding to get together and although you two were high up on the list, I never thought you would because off Gibb's rules"

The two of them shifted, he sighed and shook his head "the fact that you did get together doesn't surprise me, it is the fact that you actually managed to hide it without any of us getting suspicious", they smiled guiltily, Vance looked at Ziva "let me guess, you were not in Israel visiting friends" she shook her head "I do not have many friends in Israel Director, most of them get killed" he nodded "so where were you" he asked "stuck in our apartment going stir crazy" she said, Vance cracked a small smile "Tony it is a miracle you are still alive" he said, Tony grinned sheepishly.

He leaned back in his chair and studied them, Tony standing next to Ziva protectively, he kept glancing at her and the baby, that was what shocked him the most, how the Israeli ninja assassin was cradling the child in her arms as if she had been born to be a mother, something he had never expected, she was hugging the little girl swaying every now and then, the baby was sleeping in her mother's arms peacefully, he sighed "you must understand the position I am in you two, you shouldn't be allowed to keep working together, you know that don't you" they both nodded, "but I am impressed by how for those three months before you left you managed to hide it from us, none of us realised, Gibbs pointed that out to me last night" he looked from one to the other.

"so I should move one of you to another team, another shift really" they lowered their heads "do either of you want to move" hey both shook their head but Tony spoke up "if one of us has too, I will" Ziva looked at him in surprise, he smiled gently at her "hey I am the one who knocked you up, and besides, I would prefer to know that you were with Gibbs, he would be keeping you safe" she smiled "I like it when you keep me safe though" she mumbled, his smile widened slightly and he touched her arm comfortingly. Vance looked at Gibbs who was watching them "well what do you think Agent Gibbs"

Gibbs didn't say anything at first, then he sighed "I think you know what I want Leon" he said, Vance nodded and considered the two agents before him "very well then" he said "since Gibbs doesn't want either of you to move, despite this new situation" both Tony and Ziva whirled round to stare at their boss who raised his eyebrows at them as Vance continued "you may stay on the same team" they stared at him in delight "but I mean it, if anything changes, you will be separated" "thank you Director" Ziva whispered, he smiled at her "I do have to bring one thing up though Ziva and I know you are not going to like it"

He picked up a piece of paper and offered it to her, she looked at Tony and handed him their daughter before taking the sheet, she stared at it, she didn't say anything, only a small exhale escaped her and she looked at Vance sadly "what" Tony asked, moving forward to read it over her shoulder, Ziva looked at Vance "what did you say" she asked quietly, Vance looked at her "I told him I would inform you of his wishes"

"What" Tony exclaimed as he finished reading "no he can't do that can he" he looked at Vance "she can't go back Director, he can't make her" he looked at Ziva "can he" he asked uncertainly, Ziva lowered her head and Tony felt worry rush through him, as though sensing her father's uncertainty, Tali stirred and mumbled, Tony instantly soothed her, Ziva looked up "my father can summon me back to Israel" she said and Tony stared at her frantically, she gave him a small smile "but I resigned from Mossad, I don't have to go back, I am an NCIS agent, not a Mossad agent, here is where I want to be and here is where I will stay"

"shall I tell your father that" Vance asked, she nodded "I am surprised he even tried, he must have known I wouldn't come, anyway, he said that if I had Tali I was no longer part of his family" Vance nodded "your father won't be pleased" he said "and I am expecting a lot of heel from him, but I will support you Ziva, I to think that you are a good agent and that you belong here" "thank you Director" she said again, he rolled his eyes at the two of them "I mean it" he said "don't let your personal lives affect your work lives ok, Ziva I know you are not going to like this but go home, spend some time with your daughter, believe me they don't stay that adorable for long", they both smiled and Ziva nodded "I will" she said "Just till Tali is stronger, she looked at him "after that can I bring her in with me if she doesn't affect my work, Abby has offered to help look after her when we are busy, if she annoys people I will figure something else out" Vance looked at them "I am going to get a lot of grief for this but as you two are already breaking so many rules go on then"

Both of them grinned "now go on get out of here, I will be watching you" was his final comment as the three of them left the room, Tony laughed as the door closed "whoa, did not think that was going to happen" he grinned at Ziva "now you are my work wife and my home wife" she gave him a dirty look, but grinned too, before suddenly hugging Gibbs "thank you" she whispered, he hugged her gently back "no problem Ziver" he whispered "no point in welcoming her to the team if her parents aren't in it now is there" they both grinned, just then Gibbs' phone rang and he answered it listened before thinking the called and shutting the phone, "ok you DiNozzo" he said pointing at Ziva "take baby DiNozzo home ok and get some sleep, "you" he said looking at Tony with a smile "grab your gear got a dead petty officer at the docks" they both nodded and Tony said goodbye to his daughter before grinning at Ziva and taking off after Gibbs, she watched them go with a smile, it was good to be back.

XOXOXO

Tony groaned as a wail rang through the night "your turn" Ziva mumbled elbowing him, with a sigh he hauled himself out of bed and into the next room where Tali was supposed to be sleeping "ok come here" he managed to mutter, he reached into the crib and picked her up "Oh it is a good job you are so adorable because you are killing me here princess" he slurred, Tali simple whimpered "are you hungry" he asked tiredly, he made his way back into the kitchen where he prepared a bottle for her, glancing at the clock it said it was 6.08 am "ok princess not bad only three times tonight, how about we cut it to twice hey or wait another hour yeah" Tali whimpered again and he smiled affectionately at her.

She was now 6 weeks old and had recently moved into her own room which she was slowly getting used too, the first few nights had been unbearable, she hadn't liked the experience but after a while she had gotten used to it, and for some reason she had slept a lot better when Gibbs had brought round her crib.

He had surprised them one evening by appearing at their door carrying a beautiful hand carved crib that he had made for Tali, it was perfect, made of a rich colour wood that went well with the rest of her furniture and he had carved moons and stars into each end surrounding, written in swirling writing '_Talia Kaitlyn'_ they had been very shocked by it all, he had just smiled and said that it had given him a nice break from making boats, they had loved it and Tali appeared to like it too.

He fed her her bottle then he burped her, she then lay her head back on his shoulder mumbling, then she wiggled so he placed her on the carpet watching her kick about for a bit, he picked up a toy and dangled it over her, she stared at it and raised one arm and swatted at it, then she made a sound that sounded like a small 'he he' "yeah you need to start smiling little princess, you are at the right age" Tony said as she grabbed for the toy, he gave it to her and she instantly stuffed it into her mouth, he smiled at her lying there sucking at the poor rabbit's ear "I don't think Thumper likes that" he commented, she just whined in response as though she were saying "well I like it"

He scooped her back up rabbit and all and carried her back into the bedroom, Ziva was lying on her back, head to one side sleeping still, he looked at the clock "time for mommy to wake up" he murmured and crept towards Ziva, she didn't wake, he didn't blame her they were both exhausted, every night after Tali went to bed, too exhausted to do anything else they would just collapse into bed or fall asleep on the sofa and wake up hours later stiff. That wasn't to say they weren't loving being parents, Tali was their pride and joy, they adored her and did anything for her, she was getting to the age where she could recognise them and other people, she loved her NCIS family, though much to their delight, if they went out and came back in she would always no matter who she was with, call out and wave her arms at them, her favourite of her NCIS family was definitely, no questions asked was Gibbs, she would call out when she saw him too but not quite with the same enthusiasm as with them, and she was more than happy to sit with him for hours at a time.

Tony very carefully still holding onto Tali placed her on Ziva's chest, Tali lay there and then called out when her mommy didn't cuddle her, Ziva groaned and opened her eyes, she smiled when she saw Tali "hello my tateleh" she murmured wrapping her arms around her daughter, she looked at Tony, "let you lie in" he said "but now you have to get up otherwise we will be late" she nodded tiredly and hugged Tali before pulling herself up and heading off to dress Tali whilst Tony made coffee, now that Tali was drinking formula milk it was much better to see Ziva with coffee in her system again, she had been very cranky without it.

Ziva came out with Tali wearing little blue leggings and a pale green top, she smiled as she balanced Tali on one hip and accepted the cup of coffee he offered her, she had started off doing half days when Tali was 3 weeks old and had just last week moved to full days though she never did overtime anymore and Gibbs allowed her to leave early occasionally, but she was enjoying being back at work, they could all see that. Whilst she got dressed and Tali lay gumming her rabbit's ear to death on the floor of her bedroom Tony packed her bag which was a task trying to make sure they had everything "spare outfits, check" he said then he glanced at Tali and added another, "nappies, bottles, a mini toy store check, did I forget anything" he called to Ziva, there was silence before her voice floated back "blankets for when she takes a nap" "Oh yeah" he said slipping over to a drawer and pulling some out, they often let her sleep in her pram that remained at NCIS, if it was particularly noisy they would wheel it into the conference room, leaving her with a baby monitor or Ziva would sit in there and work with her, everyone at NCIS had accepted her and a few people would still come over to coo at her.

"Zee" he shouted then glancing at the clock "time to go" he called, he slung the bag over his shoulder, scooped Tali and the dying rabbit up off the floor and they headed off to work where as usual now Abby greeted them in the bullpen, or rather she greeted Tali "oh hello look at you I swear you have grown overnight" she cooed taking Tali from Ziva excitedly whilst Tony and Ziva moved like zombies to their desks, McGee looked at them sympathetically "how many times" he asked "three" Tony mumbled "I have forgotten what sleep is really"

"aw quit complaining Tony, how can you complain when you have this adorable little girl" Abby cooed "we can" Tony and Ziva said together "you just get to see the nice parts of her Abs, we have every part of her" Tony said "aw Tali has no bad parts" Abby fussed bouncing Tali, Ziva smiled "No she doesn't but there are parts of babies that aren't so cute and perfect" she explained "you only just figured that out" Gibbs said coming into the bullpen, he smiled at Tali "hello little one are your parents being mean about you" Tali squealed at him exuberantly, making everyone smile "Oh yeah Abs, Palmer is looking for you, he has some blood for you to run a tox screen on" Gibbs said, Abby sighed "ok see you later cutie" she gave Tali one last hug before handing her to Gibbs and heading for the elevator.

Gibbs smiled at his goddaughter who stared up at him with big eyes "you are such a spoilt child" he told her "I think your mommy and daddy are too soft on you, but I can see why, those eyes of yours are powerful to say no to" he looked over and Tony and Ziva, Ziva was rubbing her eyes exhaustedly and Tony had his head on his desk dozing, smiling Gibbs pulled out his phone and dialled Tony's number, as the phone rang loudly Tony bolted away grabbing it "very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo" he said "Hi DiNozzo wake up" Gibbs said down the line and Tali squealed again, he grunted "m wake boss" he shook his head before standing, he went round to Ziva's desk and lay Tali in her pram, she instantly began to bat at her mobile hanging above her "McGee come with me, you two, try not to fall asleep"

XOXOXO

When he came back hours later he and McGee were greeted by a cute scene, Tony was standing next to Ziva's desk, smiling at something, when he saw them he pressed a finger to his lips and beckoned them over, both of them smiled when they saw Ziva and Tali too.

Ziva was sitting on the floor fast asleep, Tali curled up against her chest head resting on her shoulder also asleep, Ziva was resting her head gently on top of her daughter's hugging her protectively, Gibbs smiled at them, Tali really was a lucky girl, she had the most perfect family ever, slightly odd yes, but perfect.

**I know terrible ending but wanted to update, hope you liked it would live some more reviews please.**

**Also if you can think of any cute scenes you want me to write please let me know and I will see if I can, would love some suggestions.**

**If you can't wait to find out what happens then you know what to do :D**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi thanks for the reviews, appreciate them all, hope you like this chapter too.**

Chapter 10 – The Love of a Family

Gibbs came in to work and frowned as he heard laughing, then he heard Tony grunt "48" and as he moved into the bullpen he saw Tony lying on his back holding Tali lifting her up and down "49" he grunted raising Tali again making her squeal in excitement he lowered her to his chest grinning "50" he said lifting her once again "yeah weight lifting done" Gibbs looked over at Ziva who was watching as though she was struggling not to laugh "DiNozzo what are you doing" Gibbs asked, Tony looked up "hey boss" he said "I am working out and keeping Tali entertained, clever huh" Gibbs raised his eyebrows "she isn't that heavy Tony, and don't you have work to do" "done" Tony chimed happily "now my work is keeping chicklet entertained"

"chicklet" Gibbs questioned Ziva as he moved towards his desk, she shrugged "better than some of his nicknames for her" she cast Tony a look, he sat up grinning "oh I can't wait to hear these" Gibbs said "well they are not bad" Ziva said "just I don't like them" Gibbs looked at Tony "have you seen her when she wants something" Tony asked "she fights for it so I call her Mini Ninja Chick" Gibbs chuckled "I can see why you wouldn't like that Ziva", she smiled and rolled her eyes at Tony who grinned.

Gibbs smiled at them, Tali was now nearly 7 months old and growing cuter every day, she could now hold her head up on her own and sit up quite happily, she recognised her name and turned towards whoever said it and was beginning to eat solid food now which was much easier for Tony and Ziva though it meant an increase in the number of outfits they had to bring as even with a bib on she managed to get food all over her. She didn't have a shortage of clothes though, every day practically Abby was bringing in little outfits for her, though she was growing fast so she needed new ones, they had fallen into a routine now, and hardly anyone even noticed Tali anymore, she was either sleeping or on someone's arms having a cuddle, she was a sweetheart and though he would never admit it to Tony and Ziva, in a way he was glad they had broken rule 12 and had her, Tali made him feel years younger.

McGee came in and barely even blinked when he saw Tony sprawled across the floor "morning" he said "morning McLate" Tony chimed "really that is the best you could come up with" McGee said sitting down "fail Tony" "ah well running on little sleep here McProbie, cut me some slack" Tony said "hey Tali show your uncles what you can nearly do" both men looked over as he set Tali very carefully on her knees, she instantly got into a crawling position and rocked back and forth a few times experimentally, Tony gave her a gentle push supporting her and she slowly propelled herself forward before sitting back on her bum, she turned to look at her dad and gurgled happily "ah nearly" he said scooping her up and handing her to Ziva who kissed her brow and settled her on her lap with a toy, she really was a good mother, Gibbs realised, the ninja assassin part of her was now buried deep within and she was almost a normal human, though she still made lots of mistakes with her English, especially when she was tired, but she was very good with Tali, right now she was working with one hand and had the other wrapped round Tali holding her close to prevent her from falling, she did have to keep stopping to hand Tali her toy when she dropped it otherwise she did kick up a hell of a fuss.

"so crawling soon" he said to Tony "you might want to think about baby proofing your apartment" he nodded "yeah got socket covers and have already removed sharp stuff, need to get cupboard locks though" he smiled at Tali who was happily banging her toy against Ziva's desk. He too was proving to be a wonderful parent, Tali was as he called her, his little princess, she adored him and he adored her, he was always playing with her acting immaturely, which didn't make a difference but at least now he had an excuse.

Just then Gibbs' phone rang and he answered it, "thanks" he said and shut the phone "grab your gear" he said "Ziva take Tali to Abby, I need all three of you", Ziva nodded and scooped up some of Tali's things and carried her to the lift "will meet you out front" she called, he nodded and Tony grabbed her bag as he passed her desk.

Ziva smiled as she exited the elevator and crossed into Abby's lab "hello Abby" she called over the music, Abby whirled round "Tali" she squealed in delight "oh hi Ziva" Ziva rolled her eyes well used to coming second to her daughter now, she allowed Abby to take Tali "we have a case, I take it you don't mind watching her for an hour or so" Abby grinned "of course not" she said "we are going to have so much fun aren't we Tali" the infant in her arms giggled happily "thank you Abby" Ziva said, she kissed the top of her daughter's head in farewell before jumping back into the elevator and hurrying out of the building, the van was waiting for her out front and she quickly climbed in grinning at Tony "we might struggle to get her back" she said "Abby was very happy to see her" Tony laughed as he drove off.

XOXOXO

When they came back two hours later, Gibbs sent the two of them down to Abby's lab armed with boxes of evidence for her, when they got down they heard a loud farting sound followed by the sound of shrieking laughter, slowly they poked their heads round the door to see Abby sitting on the floor next to Tali holding her farting hippo Bert, and Tali was clutching a smaller version of Bert giggling madly as she clutched it tightly and it made farting sounds.

"Abby" Tony exclaimed as he entered "what on earth" "hi Tony" Abby sang leaping up "oh goodie lots of evidence for me, you shouldn't have guys", Tony dropped the evidence onto the table and moved towards Tali, Ziva was still staring at the toy in shock, when Tali saw him she squealed in delight raising her hands to him still clutching the hippo's leg, Tony bent and picked her up, there was a farting sound as he accidently squeezed the hippo, Tali giggled in delight, and Abby laughed,

"Abs what is this" Tony asked examining the hippo Tali was clutching, "Tali loves Bert so I bought her one of her own" Abby said proudly "his name is Bernie" Tony looked at her "you gave her a farting hippo" he asked, in response Tali squeezed Bernie again giggling at the sounds he made, then she rested her head on his snout "ah relax Tony, you can turn the farting off" she said, she moved forward and showed him how to, "anyway she liked Bert long before she discovered he could do that, I wish you guys could have seen her face when she first made him fart, oh the shock was so funny, I couldn't stop laughing for ages"

Tony looked at Ziva who shrugged "was she good" she asked, Abby grinned "when isn't she good" she cooed at Tali who giggled happily resting her head on her daddy's shoulder, Ziva smiled "ok thanks again Abby, for looking after her and for" she paused and gestured at the hippo "Bernie" Abby grinned "any time" she said happily, "bye bye Tali" Tali giggled and then lifted one hand and waved.

Everyone stopped "oh" Ziva gasped "she hasn't done that before" Abby squealed "aw yay Tali knows how to wave" she waved at Tali who sensing everyone liked it when she waved did it again, Tony laughed "look at you princess" he said "clever girl" she giggled delighted at all the new cooing. They left with Abby waving madly at Tali who waved gently back over her daddy's shoulder.

Both Tony and Ziva rushed into the bullpen and Tony set Tali down in the middle of the floor "hey boss look what Tali just learnt to do" he said, he backed away from his daughter "bye Tali" he said waving, both McGee and Gibbs smiled as Tali waved goodbye to her father "clever girl" Ziva murmured scooping her up and hugging her daughter "um Ziver what is that she is holding" Gibbs asked "oh yeah meet Bernie, the farting hippo" Ziva said, Tali squeezed it and a farting sound echoed around, everyone in the other bullpens all looked around in shock, Tony and Ziva both burst out laughing and McGee and Gibbs couldn't help but join in, Tali giggled happily too "I think I need to figure out how to turn the farting off" Tony said moving forward to examine the toy which Tali clung to in a vice like grip.

XOXOXO

When they arrived home Ziva set Tali down in the living room next to her toys whilst she and Tony went into the kitchen keeping an eye on her as they made themselves some food as they had fed Tali at NCIS, Tony sighed as he looked at Tali "god they grow up so fast" he said softly, Ziva smiled "I know" she said leaning against him gently as they watched Tali playing with her toys happily, then as though she had sensed them watching she turned and smiled happily at them, then she waved and as always that triggered a smile from them.

Once they had eaten Ziva took Tali into her room and carefully dressed her for bed, her daughter watched her curiously as her mother moved around shutting the curtains hugging Bernie in a chokehold grip, then she let out a giggle, Ziva smiled and lowered herself down next to her daughter, she just gazed at her for a long time, she played with her for a bit before lifting her up and placing her in her crib, she placed Bernie next to her once she was certain the hippo wouldn't be farting in the night and waking her up, Tali gripped his leg tightly and looked up at her mother "Layla Tov Tateleh" she whispered "good night and sweet dreams", Tali wiggled around for a bit before she settled and closed her eyes, then she fell asleep, Ziva watched her sleep with a smile on her face and then as she always did she stroked her cheek gently and whispered "nothing will harm you my darling, you will never have the same childhood I did, I can promise you that here and now, you will be safe and loved" she paused and then whispered what Tony always said to her "always and forever tateleh" then with a smile she exited the room and quietly closed the door.

Tony was sitting on the sofa, he smiled at her as she exited "the little ninja gone to sleep" he asked, she scowled at the nickname but them nodded, "she is exhausted and I don't think she is letting go of Bernie any time soon" Tony smiled "just the toy to give to a baby" he said "a stuffed hippo that teaches them that it is funny to let off gas" Ziva smiled cheekily "I think she would learn that from you anyway" she teased, he growled at her before smiling "bed" he asked, she nodded "sleep sounds wonderful" she mumbled, Tony nodded "how to people have the energy to even make a second child" he wondered, Ziva rolled her eyes at him as he followed her into the bedroom, if that was a hint, he wasn't being subtle about it she thought, but both of them were happy with just Tali at the moment, neither of them wanted more sleepless nights, and although she wouldn't admit it, she didn't want to have to go through child birth again anytime soon.

She curled up in his arms and closed her eyes, yes another child would sound nice, but not yet, for now they were happy to totally spoil Tali rotten, she was their little princess, and that was how they liked it.

XOXOXO

Ziva sighed exhaustedly as she bounced Tali on her hip, she was crying hard her head buried in her shoulder "hush tateleh, it's ok" she whispered, Tali pulled away to look at her, her eyes were still full of tears, her mouth was wet too "are you teething tateleh" she asked, Tali whimpered in response, she moved over to the fridge and dug around until she found the teething rings that they had placed in there a few weeks ago in preparation, she was glad she had now.

She carefully removed one still bouncing Tali and closed the fridge, then she moved into the living room and sat on the sofa whilst hugging Tali, then she gently pushed the ring into Tali's mouth, instantly she grabbed at it, chewing and sucking at it hard, mumbling in relief, once she had settled Ziva moved back into Tali's room and tried to lay her back down, instantly she let out a wail, not wanting to go to bed, she was confused and upset about her mouth and she wanted her mother's comfort, so with a sigh Ziva moved back into the living room and curled up on the sofa wrapping her arms around Tali who cuddled up to her clinging to her finger tightly with one hand, sucking at the ring still mumbling, Ziva watched her for a bit as Tali stared at her with her eyes wide and almost pleading her to stay, so she closed her eyes and dozed with Tali cradled against her chest.

They stayed like that until morning both of them having fallen asleep, Tony came out once the alarm had rung rubbing his eyes exhaustedly, Ziva stirred as she sensed him approach, she turned her head to look at him "hey" he said leaning over the back of the sofa "did you sleep here" she nodded, he sighed "Ziva, wake me next time, then I will take over" she yawned "it wasn't too bad" she mumbled "I figured out she was teething and then once I gave her the ring she was ok, she wouldn't be put down to sleep, she was just confused and wanted company so I just cuddled her for a bit on the sofa and then I fell asleep" Tony sighed and kissed her forehead "and now you are exhausted" he commented, she shrugged "I am kind of getting used to the lack of sleep thing" he smiled "I'll make coffee" he said "strong coffee" she yawned "sounds good"

Tali stirred then and looked at them "hello ninja" Tony said "did you keep mommy awake all night" Tali whimpered "I'll get her another ring" Tony said "you get dressed" Ziva moved zombie like into the other room, he washed the original ring and placed it back in the fridge pulling another out and handing it too her, she took it instantly, mumbling in relief, he filled the kettle and then set it to boil before adding another ring to their bag, hopefully they would find room for that in the NCIS fridge. He prepared Tali's breakfast as she clung to him as tightly as she had clung to her mother last night, she was anxious and wanted them to be with her all the time, "it's ok princess" he said "you're ok, I promise" she mumbled and dug her tiny nails into his skin, he kissed her forehead and sighed closing his eyes savouring the moment, he knew it wouldn't be long before she was too big to cradle like this.

Ziva came out then and exhaustedly poured herself a drink, she sighed, Tony moved over to her "you ok" he asked concerned, she nodded tiredly, he wrapped one arm around her pulling her close "it will get easier" he said "trust me" she nodded and smiled as she felt Tali begin to play with her hair, she caught hold of her daughter's hand and gently freed her hair from her grasp, "I know it will Tony" she said, then he looked at her seriously "and I am getting her tonight, no exceptions Ziva, you need sleep" she rolled her eyes at him, but nodded "fine" she said "let's go to work"

XOXOXO

Gibbs looked at Tony who was staring after Ziva who had taken Tali down to see Ducky to see if he knew anything that would help her gums and then down to Abby no doubt "everything ok Tony" he asked, Tony looked at him blankly, before shaking his head "yeah, it's just Tali was teething last night and Ziva got up to her and stayed up the whole night with her" he sighed "I just wish she would have gotten me up, I hate seeing her so exhausted"

Gibbs stood up and moved round to Tony's desk and sat on the edge of it "I am sure Ziver feels the same way Tony" he said "she hates to see you tired, and it is probably in her nature to do things alone, also Tali is her baby girl, a mother daughter bond is so powerful Tony, she carried Tali for nine months nearly growing her caring for her, now Tali isn't always attached to her and she is worried, Ziva's first instinct is to protect Tony, and she wants to protect her daughter from harm, from pain, so she comforted her daughter as best she could in the way that was natural to her, so cut her some slack, mothers like to do lots for their kids"

Tony looked at him "you think so" he said, Gibbs clapped him on the shoulder "I know so" he said, and Tony gave him a weak smile when he realised what he meant, "thanks boss" he said, Gibbs nodded and moved back to his desk glad that Tony now understood why Ziva acted how she did, he remembered Shannon with Kelly, almost impossible to separate.

XOXOXO

Gibbs looked down as he heard a giggling sound, Tali was sitting next to his chair grinning up at him, giggling "hello little one" he said "you are getting fast aren't you", as if to prove his point Tali turned and crawled back into the middle of the bullpen and grabbed Bernie, then she turned and crawled back, she sat herself down next to him and then offered him her hippo, he smiled and took the stuffed animal before bending and lifting her up "ah you do grow so fast" he murmured holding her for a minute, remembering when his own daughter had been this size.

Tali was exactly like Kelly, adorable and irresistible, she smiled at him gazing at him with her big eyes, they had changed colour, they were now a beautiful golden green, the same colour as Tony's, Ziva liked that about her and Tony didn't seem to mind it either, especially as he said every other part of her was pure Ziva, but Gibbs could see Tony in this precious little child sitting on his lap happily pressing buttons on his keyboard. At now eight months old she was developing a little personality, she was cheeky and very playful, exactly like her father, he saw Tony in her every time she smiled. And there was Ziva in her he saw too, the way she frowned when trying to figure something out was exactly like Ziva when she was confused and she had her mother's determined attitude to her as well, if she wanted something, she was getting it.

"yeah press all the buttons you want" he said "I don't know how to work that thing anymore than you do" she giggled happily, Gibbs sighed as he watched her, god he missed Kelly so much, for a while there had been nothing to stop him pining over her except his job, now there was Tali, she was his antidote to carrying on with his life after Kelly, but not allowing him to forget her, she lived partly as a memory of Kelly, and partly as a reminder to him that things had changed and he had a new life after his own daughter, one where he was a grandfather to this adorable little girl.

Tali squealed just then and he looked up as Tony and Ziva came in with McGee trailing behind them, all three of them looked exhausted "hey boss, hope she hasn't been causing you too much grief" Tony commented looking at his daughter grinning up at him from his boss' lap as she pounded at his keyboard, McGee winced when he saw what she was doing to the computer, but shook his head as he passed to get to his desk, "she has been no problem Tony, she never is" Gibbs said ruffling her hair making her giggle, then she held up her arms and Tony swooped over picking her up and raising her above his head, Tali squealed in delight and kicked excitedly, as Tony brought her back down to hug her tightly.

"you know I swear you only send us all out at the same time so you can have some time with Tali to yourself" Tony commented, Gibbs grinned "busted" he said and Ziva smiled as she moved over to Tali, she took her from Tony and cradled her murmuring to her in Hebrew, Tali rested her head on her mother's shoulder and then began to play with her Star of David necklace gently, Ziva smiled stroking her head gently before she carefully knelt to the floor and set her down, Tali wiggled around to face her for Ziva lifted her and placed her on her feet supporting her carefully, she wobbled before falling against her mommy giggling, Ziva smiled back at her before setting her back down, they had been helping Tali practise standing recently but she hadn't got the hang of it yet, she probably didn't feel the need to try standing and walking yet because crawling was effective enough for her and everything she wanted all she had to do was point and it would be given to her, Gibbs smiled at that, they all knew it, but it didn't stop them handing everything to her, you couldn't say no to those eyes.

They worked for a bit longer Tali crawling from desk to desk giggling as she did so, she tried to pull herself up to McGee's desk as she liked his keyboards but as he was working with his she wasn't allowed to and she growled in frustration so Gibbs unplugged his keyboard and handed it to her and that kept her quiet until it was time for them all to go home. "don't forget the hippo" Gibbs said handing the toy to Tony as he picked Tali up and put her coat on "thanks" he said, "hope she doesn't wake you up to many times tonight" Gibbs said as he looked at the girl sitting on Tony's desk. She had stopped teething and now had one tooth poking out, sending them all into a tizzy with excitement, she was sleeping a lot better not much to everyone's relief, the Tony and Ziva that came to work were no longer zombies.

"thanks boss" Tony said scooping Tali up as Ziva grabbed their stuff "see you tomorrow" "yep see you" Gibbs said he watched them go, Tali peering over Tony's shoulder clutching her hippo, she then grinned at him and waved, and with a smile at the adorable child, he waved back, as his family got into the elevator, a sense of pride ran through him, yeah he considered Tony and Ziva his kids and he was so proud of them, they really were doing so well.

**I know crappy ending, I hope you like it.**

**If you have any chapter suggestions I would love to hear them **

**If you can't wait to find out what happens then you know what to do :D**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi thanks for all the reviews, glad you all like it – does anyone have any suggestions for cute scenes? Now or when Tali is older, any are good, let me know if you do.**

**Hope you like this one**

Chapter 11 – Milestones

Gibbs crouched in front of his desk smiling at the little girl who stood wobbling in front of him, he had his hands ready to catch her should she fall, she caught hold of his arm and giggled happily, then she looked over the short gap where her mother was kneeling smiling at her daughter, she held out one hand to her "ma ma ma" she said, Ziva smiled and held out her arms to her daughter.

Tali hesitated and looked around, Gibbs was next to her assisting her now, her uncle Tim and Aunt Abby were standing next to McGee's desk, Abby looking like she was about to burst with excitement, and there was her daddy standing behind mommy, holding a video camera at the ready.

Gibbs watched Tali look around, trying to decide if now was the right time, she must have decided it was because she turned to face her mother and took a tiny shaky step towards her, she paused before taking another, then another, two more and she giggled as she tumbled into her mother's arms.

Ziva laughed in delight as Tali took her first stumbling steps towards her and giggling stepped from Gibbs to her mother and fell into her arms, she scooped her daughter up laughing as she kissed her cheek, Tony whooped from behind her stopping filming and moving over to his wife and daughter "yay" Abby squealed bouncing forward "Tali took her first steps, you did catch it on film didn't you Tony"

Tony grinned "damm I didn't press record" he said "only joking" he said hurriedly as he caught everyone's thunderous glares "of course I got it, wouldn't miss that for the world" Gibbs laughed and ruffled Tali's hair "clever girl Tali" he praised, she giggled happily smiling at everyone as they surrounded her, she grinned at her daddy "dada" she said proudly "yeah princess" Tony said with a smile "you are so clever aren't you little ninja" he smiled at her, then he sighed "what" Ziva asked, he looked at her "she will be one next month" he said "god this year has flown by" Ziva smiled at him "I know" she said moving forward "things always seem to come sooner than they should" he smiled at her and kissed Tali's forehead, then he crouched and set her on her feet, she looked at him "dada" she said "yeah" he said softly gazing at her proudly, Ziva smiled at him happily, Tali giggled and fell back against her daddy before sliding down and beginning to crawl, Tony laughed "I can walk but crawling is so much easier" he said, everyone laughed back, smiling at the tiny child sitting on the floor grinning up at them, she grinned toothily at them showing her three teeth off proudly.

Tony smiled as they all calmed down and moved back to their desks, Abby regretfully went down to her lab to check her samples, Ziva pulled out some toys for Tali and set them up in the middle of the bullpen for her, she sat with her favourite toys, a bead maze and a little farm with plastic animals, they all thought it was adorable when she sat there making animal noises "moo" she said happily holding up a plastic cow, Tony nodded "yep that is right little ninja" Tali looked over at her mother "mama oink" she asked holding up a pig "yes tateleh" Ziva said pausing in her work to smile at the little girl, Tali giggled and then picked up a small black and white plastic dog "woof" she said "woggy" she smiled and then crawled over to where all her toys and things were kept in a box behind Ziva's desk, she pulled herself into a standing position and tugged out a soft golden toy dog that McGee had got for her "woggy" she said happily.

Ziva smiled "yes Tali doggy" she said empathising the'd', Tali giggled and carried the dog over to Gibbs "Geebees" she said holding the dog high "woggy", everyone smiled as Gibbs looked down at her and smiled "really" he said leaning over in his seat "what is it Tali" he asked "woggy" she said looking at him with an expression often seen on her father's face that plainly said 'duh'.

He smiled and nodded "very clever sweetheart, and what sound does the doggy make", she frowned at him "woof" she said "that's right sweetheart" he praised, she beamed at him, then she looked at McGee "woof" she said, he smiled at her "yeah Tali woof" he said, she giggled happily before making her way back to her toys and sitting herself down again to play with her toys.

Gibbs watched her play happily with her toys smiling at her, she had such an innocence to her, she was their ray of sunshine after dealing with pain, their joyful life after working on a death, all she had to do was smile or giggle and a huge weight was lifted from their shoulders, she was just so pure and so so perfect.

Once she had finished her work Tony looked at Ziva "why don't you take Tali home" he said gently, Ziva looked at him "you are not coming" she asked confused "I will stay a bit longer Zee, but you should take Tali, look she is exhausted" everyone looked at Tali who's playing had slowed, she was now sitting hugging her doggy and Bernie rubbing her eyes. Ziva looked at her and then nodded "alright don't come home too late though" she said grinning at him as she moved round to pick up Tali's toys, Tony smiled and moved to help her before picking Tali up to give her a hug "I won't" he said "just want to finish a few things up then I will be home" she nodded and gathered her things up, taking the dog and Bernie and putting them in Tali's bag whilst Tony hugged her "night night ninja" he said, Tali mumbled and rested her head on his shoulder "dada" she mumbled, Tony smiled and rested his head on hers briefly before giving her a kiss and saying "go to mommy ninja, I will see you later sweetheart"

Tali sleepily held out her arms and Ziva took her hugging her tired daughter close, "goodnight" she called "see you tomorrow" she smiled as the rest of the team called out their farewells to her as she stepped into the elevator, as she rode down she looked at Tali pressed against her chest, she was staring up at her mother sleepily, Ziva smiled down at her "you tired my tateleh" Tali mumbled and rubbed her eyes in response, Ziva smiled "don't worry you can sleep soon my love"

Tali decided she couldn't wait till she got home and passed out in her car seat, Ziva had difficulty juggling her exhausted daughter and two bags plus an armful of stuffed animals that Tali clung to into the apartment, once she managed to get the door to their apartment open she dumped their bags and carried Tali through to her room, there she carefully prised the toys out of Tali's grip and placed them in the crib along with the other toys, she was surprised that there was still room in there for Tali, she took out a clean baby grow and carefully undressed Tali sitting her on the edge of the dresser, she stared at her mother exhaustedly "I know tateleh, just give me a minute" Ziva promised, she smiled "arms up then little ninja", Tali giggled tiredly and raised her arms so her mommy could take her top off.

She didn't realise what she had called Tali until she was buttoning up her baby grow "Oh no" she sighed "now I am calling you ninja, your father is never going to let me live this up or is it live it down" she frowned "oh I don't know hey Tali", her daughter yawned in response, she lifted Tali up and cuddled her for a minute before carefully laying her in the crib, she rearranged the toys so that Tali could reach them before bending to kiss Tali's forehead, she mumbled and closed her eyes, a tiny sigh escaped her lips before she fell asleep. Ziva watched her listening to the rhythmical sound of her breathing before she crept out leaving the door open a crack, she tidied a few things up before moving into the main bedroom and changing into her nightwear, then she curled up under the covers, her gaze fell on a picture on her bedside table, it showed Tony and Tali together, both of them were grinning at the camera, they were at the park across the road walking home after taking Tali to play for the first time, she had loved it, especially the swings, on the way back Tony had lifted Tali and placed her on his shoulders, bouncing around making her giggle in delight, when Ziva had taken the photo, Tony was grinning looking up at Tali who was staring at him her eyes shining in delight as she laughed at her daddy, it was a magical moment that she had captured, she had fallen in love with that picture.

She smiled at it before turning out the light and rolling over, how her life had changed, nothing was how she had imagined it, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

XOXOXO

Tony very quietly slid into the apartment an hour later, he let out a small sigh, he, McGee and Gibbs had stayed late to finish off their work, he was glad Ziva had taken Tali home, he didn't want to disrupt her sleeping pattern too much, especially as she was close to sleeping through the night.

Ziva had left a lamp on for him and he was glad as he carefully hung up his jacket and dumped his bag and grabbed his phone and headed to the bedroom, before he entered though, he paused and pushed the door to Tali's room open and peered into the crib at her, he smiled at her peaceful expression before backing carefully out and heading into his own room, switching the lamp off as he passed, he crept into the bedroom and carefully changed into some sleepwear before sliding under the covers next to Ziva, she sighed and rolled over, he noticed how her hand slid under the pillow "hey" she mumbled "hey" he said eyeing the pillow "are you still sleeping with a gun", her eyes fluttered open "never stopped" she mumbled "Ziva" he growled "that was dangerous whilst you were pregnant" she frowned at him "I have slept with a gun for longer than I can remember, I think I remember how to not shoot myself in my sleep, and I was careful if this was the first time you noticed it" he scowled at her and sighed "do you really need it" he asked "I can protect you now" she smiled sleeping and kissed him softly "was that meant to terrify me" she asked, he growled again before pulling her close and kissing her head "you underestimate me" he said, she rubbed his arm "believe that if you want" she said teasingly and snuggled in against his chest, he chuckled and settled down closing his eyes with a smile on his face.

XOXOXO

When Ziva woke up, Tony was still sleeping soundly apart from the occasional rumbling snore within his chest, she smiled and shook her head before looking at the clock, it was 5am and she felt wide awake, she thought and then kissed Tony and ran her fingers through his hair until he awoke "seriously" he mumbled "it is bad enough with ninja waking us up" she smiled "I want to go for a run" she said "so you will have to get up to Tali if she cries" he yawned and nodded before closing his eyes "have a nice one" he said, she smiled swinging herself out of bed and pulling on some running clothes, she grabbed her trainers and laced them up before grabbing a water bottle and filling it, then with a smile she grabbed her keys and left the apartment.

It felt nice to be running again, she ran across the road to the park and began to run the path she had mapped out but not actually tried yet, she smiled as she felt the wind against her face pulling her hair in its ponytail out behind her, the sharp taste of the air at the back of her throat felt familiar and welcoming. She hadn't had the time to go running since Tali was born, they were too exhausted, collapsing into bed once she was asleep and sleeping as long as she would let them, she was glad that she was back again, she wouldn't be able to do this every morning but she hoped she would be able to do it regularly now.

She ran the route, it took her an hour and 15 minutes, she hoped that she would be able to cut that down to an hour soon, then once she was back she headed back up to their apartment and went straight to the shower.

When she came out Tony still wasn't awake, she frowned in surprise and then pushed the door to Tali's room open, then she smiled "hello tateleh" she said softly, Tali giggled from where she was standing in her crib, clutching at the bars peering through them at her, "did you not wake daddy sweetie, he will be pleased" she said as she crossed the room to the crib, Tali squealed and held up her arms, with a smile Ziva picked her up, then she looked at the clock; 6:30, "let's let daddy lie in" she said softly and carried Tali into the kitchen and sat her in the high chair, she placed a few toys on the tray as she pulled out some Weetabix and added milk until it was a mush for Tali to eat, then she sat in front of Tali who dropped her toys when she saw the food gurgling in anticipation, smiling Ziva put a bib on her, Tali scowled and tugged at it "you are not eating without it tateleh" Ziva said smiling at her "you get half of it down your front" Tali grumbled but stopped trying to take the bib off when Ziva offered her the first spoonful she opened her mouth willingly and took the food, in between mouthfuls she giggled and gurgled, Ziva watched her smiling at her antics, she offered her the next spoonful and Tali took it, then she blew a raspberry spitting some food out "Tali" Ziva chided, but Tali just giggled.

"ah food fights have begun" she turned and smiled at Tony as he came out of their room "how long did you run for" he asked "hour and 15 minutes" she said "when I checked on her she was awake but standing up in her cot" "yay" Tony said "maybe she can sleep through the night now" Ziva smiled "that would be nice but she was still awake at 6:30" Tony shrugged and poured some coffee. Ziva looked back at Tali covered in food, she sighed "I'll clean her up and dress her" she released Tali from the much hated bib and lifted her from the high chair and carried her into her room.

She set her daughter on the rug handing her Bernie from the cot and opened the chest of drawers "so which of your many outfits would you like to wear to day Tali" she asked, Tali didn't seem bothered she just reached for some more toys gurgling happily, shaking her head at her daughters antics she selected a pair of leggings and a long top, she wiped Tali's face ignoring her protests "can't have everyone seeing you covered in food" she said to Tali "people would think we didn't love you" from behind her Tony laughed, she turned to see him standing in the doorway "I think everyone knows how much we love Tali Zee, she is the most spoilt child on the planet right ninja" Tali giggled.

Ziva smiled and handed Tony the clothes "you dress her" she said "I need to get ready" Tony nodded and then crouched in front of Tali "hey ninja" he said, Tali looked at him interested "ready to get dressed" he asked, Tali chirped, he smiled and lifted her up carefully slipping her out of the baby grow and into her top, then he found a pair of socks and wriggled them onto Tali's tiny feet tickling her as he did so making her giggle and kick happily, he smiled at her as he slid her into her leggings, then he lifted her and made aeroplane noises flying her around, she shrieked and giggled happily, "Tony" Ziva shouted "she has just eaten, be careful" "Ah mommy has a fair point there princess" Tony said lowering her back into his arms, Ziva came it and eyes him, he grinned innocently making her roll her eyes at him, "you know with you as her father I do sometimes worry Tali will never grow up" she said teasingly, Tony grinned and gave a mock bow "I will take that as a compliment" he said, and Ziva smiled "come on then my two children let us go to work shall we", grinning her husband and daughter followed.

**Terrible ending I know but I hope you liked it – next will be Tali's birthday I think **

**If you have any chapter suggestions I would love to hear them **

**If you can't wait to find out what happens then you know what to do :D**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi glad you liked the last one hope this one is good thanks for all the suggestions too **

Chapter 12 – Time is slipping through our Fingers

Tony grunted as he heard giggling, then he rolled over to see Ziva sitting on the edge of their bed smiling at Tali who was on her hands and knees patting his stomach a huge grin on her face "hello my princess" he mumbled a grin sliding onto his face as he reached over and picked Tali up sitting her on his stomach "is it your birthday today ninja" she giggled, he grinned "how old are you today" he held up one finger, Tali giggled again and grabbed his finger "that's right your one" he said, he sat up pulling her against his chest, then he smiled at Ziva "this time a year ago you went into labour" she smiled "yes a whole day of pushing a small human through an even smaller hole, unforgettable" she moved round and kissed the top of Tali's head "but it was worth it" she said, Tony smiled "sure was" he said and swung himself out of bed.

They had asked for the day off and Vance had granted it much to their delight, they had the whole day to spend with their little angel on her birthday, not that she understood, they fed her and dressed her before bringing out her presents, they hadn't held back and her pile of presents was even bigger than her, she giggled happily in delight tossing the paper all over the place whilst Ziva laughed as Tony wrestled with a few toys trying to put them together swearing under his breath "language Tony" Ziva chided "there are innocent ears in this apartment" he smiled "I am pretty sure she doesn't understand" he said, Ziva sat on the arm of the sofa watching "even so if her next word is bad I am not going to be the only one out to get you" she threatened, he smiled "duly noted" he said "Tali" he said turning to his daughter "don't say any bad words until you are at least 20"

Tali stared at him "jeez Tony she is only 1 now suddenly you are wishing her life away" Ziva said, "oh no I am definitely not wishing it away" he said "ah ha" he then exclaimed sitting back "finished" he tilted his head to one side "what is it supposed to be anyway" Ziva laughed.

At that moment there was a knock on the door, Ziva furrowed her eyebrows wondering who that could be as she rose from her seat and went and opened the front door.

Abby shot past her into the apartment squealing "happy birthday Tali" making Tony yelp as in his surprise he banged his head on the cabinet behind him, Ziva turned to see Gibbs and McGee standing in the doorway grinning "hello" she said "what are you doing here" she asked as she stepped aside to let them in, Gibbs smiled as he kissed her brow "quiet day at work" he said "Vance let us go, he will call if there is a case, and we couldn't miss Tali's birthday" Ziva smiled as she shut the door "and was giving Tony a concussion part of the plan" she asked as they stepped towards Tali and the pile of presents which increased as their team added their own, Tony was still sitting grumbling as he rubbed his head, Gibbs smiled as he greeted his other agent, Tali was giggling at her daddy until she spotted the rest of her family, she looked at Abby and laughed holding up her arms for a hug.

Laughing Abby bent and picked her up "I can't believe you are one baby girl" she gushed "that makes three of us" Tony said still rubbing his head smiling at Tali as she giggled happily "open presents" Abby urged "yeah we haven't got all day" Tony joked looking at the pile.

Tali certainly was spoilt, she got everything she could possibly need and more, from more farm animals, to hundreds of brightly coloured books with interactive parts which awed her, building blocks, lots of little dolls, a very loud musical piano that everyone was soon regretting showing her how to use as she sat there giggling merrily slamming her fists against the keys. Gibbs surprised them all when he produced his present from the box it was in, it was a wooden rocking horse that he had made for her, absolutely beautiful, painted in bright colours with swirling patterns, it looked just like a carousel horse, it even had a seat back for her to lean against, it had a little faux leather saddle and a bridle attached with reins that Tali clung too, the smile on her face as she sat on it was absolutely beautiful, her eyes were wide with delight as she rocked back and forth, Abby snapping photo after photo madly.

Nobody stopped smiling as they watched Tali play with her toys and Tony and Gibbs set more things up for her, Abby and Ziva went and made a huge birthday cake with _'Happy 1__st__ Birthday Tali'_ written in swirling writing and after they all ate lunch they sang happy birthday to Tali who sat giggling on Ziva's lap reaching out determinedly to get to the cake, smiling Ziva passed her to Tony and went to fetch some plates and a knife, when she turned round Tony had taken a dollop of icing and was allowing Tali to eat it scraping it off his finger to suck at her own mumbling in delight "Tony" she growled, he grinned "yes Zee" he said innocently whilst everyone else laughed.

Tali grabbed at the icing then and splatted it against Tony's face causing everyone to almost collapse laughing so hard, Tony scowled at his daughter and then placed a dollop neatly on her nose and he smiled as she nearly went cross-eyed trying to see it "now I ask you" McGee said looking at the two of them "who is the bigger child" both of them grinned cheesily as everyone laughed and Abby leapt around snapping more photos.

Gibbs reached over and took Tali from Tony "you are cheeky" he said to her as she looked at him eyes shining, then she patted his cheek covering it in the icing still on her hand, giggling she moved to the other cheek, he raised his eyebrows "done" he asked, he could hear everyone snickering, he smiled and wiped the dollop off of her nose, she grinned at him "good job you're so cute sweet pea" he said smiling at her, he heard a yelp and looked over to see Tony wrap his arms around Ziva wiping icing across her cheeks "Tony" she gasped before she began to laugh, she struggled half-heartedly before turning to look at him "seriously" she said "yep" he said a twinkle in his eye "seriously" she smiled reaching behind her to grab some ammunition before she wiped cake and icing across his forehead, he scowled "yep" she said "seriously" Tali was laughing hard at her parents' antics, even Gibbs couldn't help but smile at them, they were perfect for each other he had to admit.

The two of them looked around the room and then with a smile both of them launched at Abby and McGee and covered them in icing, Gibbs laughed from where he stood with Tali watching, but it wasn't long before Abby gleefully leapt at him, covering both him and Tali in cake, still laughing he looked over at Tony and Ziva, Ziva was still laughing as she backed away from Tony "no Tony" she said giggling "that is taking it too far" Tony grinned though as he leapt towards her wrapping one arm around her and ignoring her protests opened his hand above her head allowing a handful of flour to rain down on her, covering her, then he stepped away as she stood there scowling at him through the still airborne flour, then she sighed "this really doesn't surprise me Tony" she said stepping towards him and wrapping her arms around him, then she very gently kissed him on the lips and Gibbs saw Tony relax slightly as he kissed her back, then he yelped as she swiped an egg off the counter and broke it on his head. Tali laughed at her daddy as he stood there egg yolk dribbling slowly down his neck, he looked at Ziva, "I guess I deserved that" he said and everyone laughed.

More cake and icing bombs flew around their kitchen before they all stopped laughing absolutely covered in cake all of them, they ate what was left, Ziva setting Tali in her high chair with a few small chunks which she nibbled at happily. Ziva couldn't stop smiling, this was a perfect first birthday for Tali, she couldn't have asked for anything better, surrounded by friends and family.

XOXOXO

When the party ended hours later everyone helped wash up and clean the kitchen, then Abby and McGee left together after they were thanked for Tali's many presents, Gibbs stayed and helped them sort everything out "you might need to move again" he joked as he and Tony began to pile Tali's many new toys up out of the way "or Tony's man cave might have to become a playroom" Ziva called from where she was giving Tali a bath, Tony pouted and Gibbs smiled at him.

"Thanks boss" Tony said then "for everything, that was a perfect day for Tali, she loved the rocker you made for her" Gibbs smiled "no problem Tony, she deserves to have a nice birthday" Tony smiled happily and they continued. They were just finishing when Ziva re-emerged from the bathroom with Tali all dressed and ready for bed rubbing her eyes tiredly "hello little one" Gibbs said moving over to take her from her mother "I bet you are exhausted after this exciting birthday" Tali mumbled and rested her head on his shoulder sucking at her thumb. Gibbs smiled and held her for a bit before handing her back to Ziva "well" he said "I should head off home so Tali can get some sleep" Ziva smiled "thank you" she said moving forward to hug him, he smiled back as he hugged her gently "no problem Ziver" he said, he ruffled Tali's dark brown hair before with a smile heading to the door, Tony followed "see you tomorrow boss" he said, Gibbs nodded "yes see you tomorrow DiNozzo" and with a smile he left.

XOXOXO

Tony closed the door and looked across the living room at Ziva "well that was eventful" he said brightly, she raised her eyebrows at him "you think" she said, she was still covered in flour and bits of cake and he could imagine he looked just as bad, he moved forward "do you want to shower first" he offered "I will put her to bed" she smiled and kissed Tali's forehead before handing her to her daddy and heading off to the bathroom.

Tony looked down at Tali lying against his chest, "hey princess" he said softly "did you have a good birthday" Tali mumbled and looked up at him tiredly "ok bedtime for sleepy one year olds" he said and carried her into her bedroom, he hugged her for a minute breathing in the scent of her baby shampoo, she smelled lovely, of shampoo and baby powder. Slowly he lowered her into her crib and covered her with a blanket, then he placed Bernie next to her and watched as her hand automatically gripped her stuffed hippo, he smiled "night night princess, I can't believe you are one, but remember one thing ninja" he smiled down at his tired daughter

"No matter how old you get, you will always be my little girl"

He smiled at her before quietly exiting and closing the door, Ziva had finished in the shower and was already getting into her night wear so he quickly jumped in the shower to remove the eggy flour paste from his hair before it became any thicker and turned to glue, when he was done and had changed he went into the living room to find Ziva sitting with her laptop open, he peered over her shoulder to see hundreds of photos taken only a few hours earlier "Abby just sent them all to me" she said with a smile "she took over 250 pictures" Tony whistled "wow" he said sitting next to her on the sofa and looking at them as she slowly flicked through them, they smiled as they looked at Tali's big grin, Abby didn't appear to have missed a moment of that day.

"aw'w" Tony said looking at one of Tali on her rocking horse eyes shining in delight, Gibbs was crouched next to her smiling at her glee as he rocked her back and forth "that is so being printed out and sent to the boss man" Tony said, Ziva smiled and nodded.

"oo I like that one" Tony said cheekily as they moved into the food fight to find one of him with Ziva in his arms, they were grinning at each other, Tony could see Ziva's eyes sparkling as she gazed at him, both of them covered in icing and flour and goodness knows what else, in the background he could see Gibbs holding Tali who was laughing at her mommy and daddy.

Ziva smiled at the picture "yeah cute" she said "I like this one" she said showing Tony one of him with icing on his cheeks and Tali with icing on her nose both grinning cheesily at the camera, Tony grinned "yeah love it" he said happily. They continued to flick through the photos for a long while smiling at their cheeky little daughter. Then once they were done Ziva closed her laptop and placed it on the table before curling up against Tony who wrapped her in his arms, he had done quiet and now she looked at him.

"what is wrong" she asked, "nothing" he said, she gave him a look "tell me Tony" she said softly, he looked at her and then sighed "it is just my father" she frowned, she had completely forgotten about him "what about him" she asked, he sighed again "I shouldn't expect anything less from him, but one year ago I sent him a letter telling him about Tali, I told him about you and me and I told him about how perfect our daughter was, I sat in that hospital room whilst you and Tali slept and wrote it, I asked for him to give me his blessing and be a grandfather to Tali if it wasn't too much to ask, evidently I was wrong" Ziva hugged him tightly "just because your father didn't respond it doesn't mean he doesn't give you his blessing Tony" she whispered "yeah because I am sure the post is exceptionally slow and it is taking almost a year to deliver his response" Tony muttered, she elbowed him "hey" she said cupping his face "if he doesn't want to be a part of this family then it is his loss, you offered him a place and he chose to ignore you, he doesn't know what he is missing, he doesn't know how privileged he should be to have you as a son, a kind wonderful man who set me free and gave me the most perfect daughter I could ever hope for, if he doesn't see how lucky he is to have you as a son maybe he shouldn't be lucky enough to have Tali as his granddaughter"

She smiled at him "both of us are the same Tony, our biological fathers don't realise how lucky they should feel to have Tali in their family, my father doesn't love me, I was just his tool and your father didn't want to be a father, but why should we be upset, we have a father Tony, Gibbs has been more of a father to me than mine ever was since I joined NCIS and I know you feel the same way about him"

He looked at her and then slowly he smiled "you're right Zee" he said kissing her forehead before grinning "and it isn't like she needs another grandfather, she has the two best grandfathers a child could want, Ducky to tell her the stories of the good old days and Gibbs to guide her and protect her" Ziva smiled "yes see" she said, he kissed her gently "I love you Ziva" he whispered "you and Tali are my world now", she smiled as she kissed him back "I feel the same Tony" she murmured "I love you too", he continued to kiss her, lovingly and passionately, she felt his hand slide around her waist and she smiled and pulled away, he looked at her "on the sofa" she said "really" she slid off of him and walked towards the bedroom, she heard him leap up after her and she gasped, then giggled as he scooped her up and placed her on the bed, scrambling over her, leaning over her to kiss her neck, she tugged his shirt off as he slipped her tank top off , slowly they stripped kicking the sheets aside to make room.

With a smile she rolled over so that she was on top straddling him, grinning at him she bent to kiss him and he ran his fingers through her hair smiling happily at her as she pressed herself against him "are we trying for number two" he asked cheekily, she laughed but apart from that she didn't respond, she kissed him and felt his hands slide lovingly over her body as she ran her fingers through her hair.

They made love deep into the night, almost a years' worth of sexual energy needing to be released, and they released it all in that night of passion, the same way that they had the night they had created their little princess.

**Hi I know it is short, it just felt right to end it there it was quite a cute**

**If you have any chapter suggestions I would love to hear them **

**If you can't wait to find out what happens then you know what to do :D**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi everyone hope you like this thanks for all the reviews, really loved them all. Just so you know I won't be updating soon because I am in Belize for two and a half weeks doing conservation with my College, it is a strictly no technology trip. Sorry.**

**Hope you like this one.**

Chapter 13 – Their Daughter

Ziva looked down as she felt a tug at her trouser leg, she smiled "hello my tateleh" she said, Tali giggled and held up her arms asking to be lifted, she smiled again and reached down to pick her daughter up, she settled her on her hip before returning to stirring the pasta she was cooking, Tali mumbled at the sight of food and reached out to the pan "ah ah" Ziva said catching her hand and pushing it away "no Tali, hot" Tali looked at her "hot" Ziva said again "ouch" she said pointedly, Tali considered her "ow" she asked "yes ow" Ziva said, Tali nodded, smiling Ziva put her down and watched her totter back into the living room, giggling she sat back on the rug and began to chatter to her toys happily, Ziva smiled before turning back to their dinner.

When she was done she left it on the stove to keep warm, Tony wasn't back yet, he and Gibbs had gone to pick up a suspect and were not back yet so she had headed home with Tali as she had no more work to do, "Tali" she called "come have dinner" Tali scampered back into the kitchen, she lifted her up and placed her in her high chair, she placed the small plastic plate of pasta in front of her and left her to it as she moved around. Tali happily picked up the pasta nibbling it happily, Ziva watched her before picking up baby fork and her own before sitting opposite Tali, she speared a piece of pasta with her fork, Tali watched fascinated as she used the fork to eat it "you want to try" Ziva asked offering her the baby fork, Tali considered it before reaching out to grab the fork, slowly Ziva guided her hand assisting her for the first time, Tali beamed as she ate her food off the fork, Ziva smiled at her "very good tateleh" she praised, Tali giggled and tried again on her own, a few pieces of pasta skittered off her plate onto the floor but she didn't seem to mind.

Leaving her determinedly stabbing at the pasta Ziva filled up her cup with juice and handed it to her, she giggled and took it happily drinking immediately. She was now 16 months happily moving from baby to toddler, learning new things every day and becoming cuter every day, she had more hair on top of her head now and it was beginning to form large curls just like Ziva's, it was also the same colour as Ziva's but seemed to have natural lighter streaks to it. Once she had finished eating Ziva lifted her up and hugged her tightly, she ran her fingers through her curls smiling as Tali rested her head on her mommy's chest "where daddy" she asked, Ziva smiled "daddy will be home soon tateleh" she promised, Tali nodded. At that moment they heard the sound of a key in the lock, Ziva smiled and carried Tali out of the kitchen, "who do you think this is" she whispered, Tali stared at the door and then grinned as Tony came in tugging his key from the lock, "dada" she squealed.

Tony turned and grinned at her "hello princess" he said, Ziva set Tali on the floor and watched her stagger over to Tony who dropped his stuff to scoop her up into a cuddle, she giggled happily, Tony smiled and moved forward tugging Ziva into a hug smiling at her "did you get him" she asked "of course" Tony said "daddy always gets the bad guy doesn't he princess" Tali giggled happily, Tony set her down and she scampered off to her toys again, Tony crossed into their room and Ziva followed watching as he went over to the safe and unlocked it and placed his gun and badge next to Ziva's inside "did he confess" Ziva asked, he nodded "once Gibbs had scared him silly" she smiled "sounds like Gibbs" he nodded locking the safe and they went into the kitchen to eat.

Ziva was just washing up when she felt his arms wrap around her, she smiled and turned as he leaned down to kiss her gently, she smiled and kissed him back but stopped his hands from sliding down from her waist "you daughter is still awake in the next room" she warned "oh yeah" he mumbled kissing her again making Ziva smile again and roll her eyes at his antics.

"daddy" came a voice at their feet, Tony groaned as he pulled away "perfect timing as always" he mumbled before crouching "yes princess" she fell at him "play" she squealed and Tony laughed lifting her up high above his head, she squealed and kicked her legs in delight thrashing happily, Tony carried her aeroplane style back into the living room as she shrieked in excitement, he set her down on the floor and sat down, she let out a giggle and hurled herself at him "ah" he yelped falling backwards as she leapt at him, giggling she tumbled onto his chest sitting on top of him "Ziva help, the mini ninja has me" Tony said grinning from the floor, Ziva rolled her eyes and sat on the sofa "get him Tali" she said, Tony scowled "whose side are you on" "oh my daughters always" she said with a smile, he pouted "in that case" he scooped Tali up and leapt onto the sofa "let's get mommy Tali" he said.

Ziva laughed as they both fell on her tickling at her madly, Tali giggling uncontrollably, "see how easy they turn on you" Tony said, she pouted at him and he grinned "only when you turn them against me" she whispered, then she grinned and looked at her daughter sitting next to her "Tali daddy is doing bath tonight, now whose side are you on" Tali glanced at her father then looked back at her mother "ima's" she squealed, they both paused and Tony frowned at Ziva who looked very surprised, then she smiled "what did she say" Tony asked, Ziva sat up scooping her daughter up smiling "she said ima" she said softly "it means mother in Hebrew"

Tony smiled, that was cute, "where did she learn that" he asked, Ziva shrugged "I talk to her a lot in Hebrew, it just comes naturally to me, I tell her that I am her mother and I will look after her, she must have picked up what it is" she thought "yes sometimes when she calls out to me I tell her that I am here" Tony grinned "that is cute" he said.

Ziva smiled "well" she said "Tony care to do the honours" he looked at her "b-a-t-h" she spelt out "oh yes" he said, they both looked at Tali who seemed to pick up on what they meant and scrambled off of her mother's lap and bolted, Ziva looked at Tony, "I will run the bath for you" she said "thanks" he said and headed off in search of his daughter, when he entered Tali's room he heard a small giggle "I wonder where Tali is" he said looking around, he spotted her socked foot poking out from under the crib "hmm" he said "is she in the wardrobe" he made a show of opening the wardrobe "nope" he said loudly "not in there" Tali giggled "is she behind the door… nope not there either, where can she be" he said, he slowly crept over the crib and knelt next to it and peered under, he saw her bright eyes gleaming at him "there she is" he said, she let out a squeal and wriggled out running out of the room on unsteady legs, Tony took off after her and gently caught hold of her "got yah" he said scooping her up.

"no" she complained "no bath" "yes bath" he said carrying her towards the bathroom "you're a smelly ninja" she giggled, once he managed to get her into the bath though she was fine, she loved the water, splashing and playing with her toys though Tony often said they ended up wetter than she did along with the bathroom, but she had a good time and they wanted her to enjoy herself. He carefully washed her hair making sure non got in her eyes before washing it all away "ready to get out little mermaid princess" he asked, she nodded so he pulled the plug, "up you get" he said and took her hand aiding her to stand up before grabbing the big fluffy towel and wrapping it around her and scooping her out of the tub, he set her carefully on the floor "where has Tali gone now" he asked, she giggled, he tugged back the towel "found you" he said smiling at her grin, Ziva reappeared with Tali's pyjamas smiling at them.

Once Tali was dry they carefully helped her into her pyjamas and Ziva carried her into her room, Tony watched as she sat down with her on her lap and opened a book watching Tali gaze at the brightly coloured pictures, she reached out to touch them happily, after she had flicked through a couple of books Ziva lifted her up and placed her in the crib covering her with a blanket "night night tateleh" she said softly "ni ima" she mumbled, Ziva smiled at her before slipping quietly out of the room.

She found Tony lying across the sofa watching a movie, she kicked his shoes off the sofa before lying down next to him, he turned his head to kiss her "she's asleep now" he said, she giggled kissing him back "not an excuse" she said, he sighed and pulled her close "I love you Ziva" he said suddenly, she looked up at him "I love you too Tony" she said, he grinned "did you ever see yourself with this life" he asked, she shook her head "no but I love it" "ditto" he said and she laughed.

XOXOXO

The next morning Ziva went out for a run, she smiled as she felt the wind pull at her hair again, this was one thing she had always loved and always would, the feeling of freedom, nothing could stop her from running, she felt wild and open, she could put all into this activity, she didn't have to hold back. When she got back she could hear giggling and when she opened the door Tali was in her high chair covered in jam, waving toast crusts around as Tony smiled on at her, he spotted Ziva and grinned "hey" he said "how was the run" she smiled "good thank you" she slipped into the kitchen to kiss him and Tali gently, "what time did she wake you up" she asked "not that long ago" he said "I realised she was being very quiet and went into her room to find her standing up jumping up and down" Ziva laughed as she slipped off to have a shower.

When she came back Tali was staggering round the living room all dressed giggling happily at her daddy who was leaning against the sofa grabbing playfully at her as she stumbled by, when she spotted her mother though, Tali stumbled towards her, Ziva noticed that she was getting a lot more steady on her legs now, she smiled and picked her up "ima" Tali giggled "yes my tateleh" Ziva said softly smiling at her daughter "are you ready to come to work with us" Tali clapped her hands happily "I'll take that as a yes" Tony said, he grabbed their bags and picked up his hat and placed it on Tali's head, she peered at him from underneath "come on then Agent Tali DiNozzo, let's go catch those bad guys" he said.

XOXOXO

"Gampa"

Gibbs looked up and blinked in surprise as he saw Tali standing in front of his desk clinging to the edge grinning at him "hello sweet pea" he said with a small smile "well you are definitely your mother's daughter" he looked up to see Tony and Ziva grinning, he smiled at them "yeah" Tony said with a grin "little ninja, silent and deadly cute" Ziva elbowed him scowling before moving round to her desk with a smile on her face, Gibbs stood and scooped Tali up making her giggle, he set her on his hip "come on sweet pea" he said "let's go see Auntie Abby"

Tony grinned as he sat down "ah peace" he said cheekily, everyone gave him a look, "just kidding, miss ya already little ninja" he called, Tali giggled and waved as Gibbs carried her into elevator, he looked at her as she looked at him and smiled, he smiled back "you are too cute for your own good" he murmured, she grinned "I do worry though" he said "that with Tony as your father you will never grow up" she grinned at him, he smiled back softly before kissing her forehead, she leaned against his shoulder, he rested his affectionately on hers as the elevator doors opened and he strode into Abby's lab "hey Abs" he said, she spun round "hi Tali" she squealed "hey Gibbs" she moved forward and took Tali from Gibbs "oh you look exceptionally adorable today cutie, but then again you always look cute" Gibbs rolled his eyes "is all the evidence from the case ready to go down" he asked.

Abby nodded "all bagged and tagged" she said happily nodding to her table where there were two boxes, Gibbs smiled "thanks Abs" he said giving her a kiss on the cheek "I'll take them down" he said and signed the form before lifting the boxes up, then he looked at Tali "you coming sweet pea" he asked, she giggled and staggered towards him, he caught her hand and helped her into the elevator and had it head down to ground level, he caught her hand again and led her over to the evidence locker, he couldn't help but smirk when he saw the guys in charge of the evidence locker gawping at Tali, everyone had heard about Tony and Ziva breaking the rules, but some still didn't believe it.

He handed them the evidence and watched them sign for it then he heard "Mgeee" he looked over to see McGee climbing out of the van that he had just driven in, McGee looked over and smiled at the sight of Tali "hey munchkin" he said, Gibbs released Tali's hand and watched her scamper over to her uncle who bent to greet her "hey boss" he said, Gibbs nodded "you cleaning the van" he asked, McGee nodded "gotta be done and Tony keeps putting it off" he said grumpily, he looked down at the little girl peering up at the van "Tali, make sure you don't have your father's organisation skills" he told her, Gibbs rolled his eyes "ah well as we have no case I will call Tony and Ziva down"

He moved away to call them down to help and McGee hauled himself into the van, he heard an indignant sound and looked down to see Tali looking up at him, she raised her arms "oh" he said "You want up" she squealed "up Mgee up", he hopped back down and lifted her up placing her in the cab with him, shutting the door so that she wouldn't fall out, she stood happily on the seat twisting the steering wheel giggling happily whilst he emptied the pockets of the car grumbling.

"seriously McGee, we had no work and you decided to clean the van" Tali giggled and called out "dada" as Tony and Ziva exited the elevator and headed over, Tony looked grumpy "had to be done Tony" McGee said smoothly "anyway I swear half of this is your mess" "is not" he said "the only thing in that cab that is mine is the cutie who looks like she will drive like her mother when she is older" everyone laughed and looked at Tali twisting the steering wheel from side to side giggling, sighing Tony hopped into the cab and sat next to her, she sat down still clinging to the wheel and grinned at him, "hey princess" he said "you learning to drive already" she giggled "don't let her discover the horn" McGee said seriously, Ziva smiled as she moved round and opened up the back of the van and clambered in and began to chuck stuff out "when was the last time we cleaned this out" she asked, McGee shrugged.

Suddenly the horn blared making them all leap, Tali squealed in shock and Tony caught hold of her as she reeled away, she looked up at him in shock her eyes wide as saucers "shh its ok ninja" he soothed, she eyed him "don't worry the big nasty horn won't hurt you" he promised, Tali stared at him uncertainly before eyeing the steering wheel again. Ziva came round and peered in "she ok" she asked worriedly, Tony nodded from where he sat with one hand resting protectively on Tali's back "yeah just a bit shocked" he said.

Tali uncertainly reached out and touched the wheel warily before gripping it again and giving it an experimental twist before settling happily back down, she remained there until they had finished and Tony opened the door and held out his arms "you coming princess" he asked, she eyed him happy in the cab, "come on Tali" he said, she gave a very DiNozzo sigh before holding out her arms to him and allowing him to pick her up.

They went back up to the bullpen to find Gibbs sitting at his desk "van clean" he asked, they all nodded "so it went well" Tony nodded as he set Tali down and watched her scamper of to Ziva's desk where all her toys were "yeah apart from Tali getting the fright of her life when she leant on the horn" Gibbs raised his eyebrows and looked at her "she ok" he asked, Tony nodded "definitely her mother's daughter" he said with a smile at Ziva "she faced her fear head on and fought it, she stayed there and got over her fear", Ziva smiled as she sat down and ran her hand through Tali's thick curls with a smile on her face as she stared at her daughter adoringly.

XOXOXO

They took her to the park just down the road at lunch time, she adored it, especially the swing, Gibbs paused on his way back from getting coffee to watch the family, Tony was holding Tali at the top of the slide whilst Ziva was crouched at the bottom, slowly Tony allowed her to slide down giggling in delight but he kept hold of her until she slid into Ziva's waiting arms.

He realised how much the park symbolised a child's life when they were there with their parents, life always had its tough climbs, but parents were always there to help you to show you the safe route and footholds, and life always threw bad things at you, and you were left teetering at the top of a downwards slide, but your parents were there, to help you stay at the top until you were ready, and when you fell they were there to catch you no matter what, they would always be there for you, supporting you through it all.

He looked back at them, Tali was now sitting in the swing, her eyes shining in delight as her parents pushed her back and forth, parents were always there to give you that little extra push that you needed, the little extra encouragement. He watched them for a while before entering the park and walking over "hey boss" Tony greeted "hey" he said "come on we have a meeting" Tony groaned and lifted Tali out of the swing, she grumbled in protest looking rather indignant, just like her father.

He walked back with them watching as they each took Tali's hand swinging her up into the air, he joined them smiling at her joyful laughs. It wasn't just her parents who would be there for this sweet little child, they all would be there for her, lifting her up, trying to lift her as high as they could to give her the best possible future. Not that she needed it, she was already so smart and very advanced for her age, she would be a fine young girl, beautiful and amazing. That he had no doubt.

**Hi I know not too good but I wanted to update before I went away on Wednesday, so I am afraid to say no more updates until I get back from Belize in a couple of weeks – sorry, will update asap when I get back I promise.**

**If you have any chapter suggestions I would love to hear them **

**If you can't wait to find out what happens then you know what to do :D**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

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**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi sorry for the delay, was in Belize and was having the time of my life, it was amazing and so beautiful, indescribable.**

**Anyway hope you like this.**

Chapter 14 – Big Step

Tony eyed Ziva uncertainly as she paced back and forth, even Tali watched her mother doubtfully from where she rested on his hip "Zee" he said eventually "relax will you" she ignored him and chewed her lip "Zee" Tony said firmly "you're worrying Tali"

Ziva paused and looked over at Tali who was watching her a small frown on her face, "Ima" she said softly and held out her arms to her mother, Ziva sighed "sorry tatelah" she murmured moving over to hug her daughter, as she cradled her daughter tightly against her chest protectively she looked at Tony who was chewing his lip indecisively "I'm not the only one who isn't sure about this Tony" she said with a small smile" he smiled sheepishly back before returning serious "come on Ziva she is going to be fine I promise you", Ziva sighed again and rested her forehead against Tali's "I know" she said "but I don't want to leave her, it is weird, I know she will be perfectly fine and I have nothing to worry about but I still don't want to leave her"

Tony smiled "it's not weird Ziva its normal, you are her mommy, of course you don't want to leave her but she can't come to NCIS forever, she has to socialise with kids her own age, plus she will have fun won't you ninja" Tali stared at him confused.

They had realised that Tali couldn't come to work with them every day, she needed to socialise with other kids her own age, she was now 22 months old, plus now she was very steady on her feet it was becoming harder to keep an eye on her, she was such a curious child, she wanted to explore everything. So they had unhappily agreed to send her to a day care centre, they chose the one that most of the people who worked at NCIS and had children used mainly because they assured them that it was wonderful, but they were still uncertain, Gibbs had obviously guessed that because last night he had called them up and told them that they could come in late and help Tali settle in at her day-care, they were grateful, wanting to be there for her, to reassure her and to reassure themselves.

They drove there in silence, Tony kept glancing at Tali where she sat in the back gazing out the window a small smile on her face as she watched things go flashing by, he couldn't help but smile, he guessed she would be fine.

XOXOXO

They arrived and cautiously entered the building, at once they heard excited squeals and saw boys and girls of a verity of ages rushing around, playing with toys. Tali stared at them all, her eyes going wide and Tony saw her grip on Ziva's top tighten uncertainly "shh" Ziva murmured "it's ok Tali, you'll have fun here", one of the carers came over and introduced herself as Sarah, she spoke gently and comfortingly to Tali who eyed her uncertainly from the safety of her mother's arms, Sarah smiled and said that was normal and encouraged them to try and get Tali to go play willingly.

Ziva carried Tali over to some toys and set her down, Tony followed and crouched next to them, Tali looked up at them confused, Ziva smiled at her and ran her hand through Tali's thick dark curls "it's ok tateleh" she said softly "you can play" Tali looked around before bending and picking up a large stuffed donkey, she smiled and hugged it before looking at Tony, he could still see the confusion and apprehension in her eyes, she knew something was up but wasn't 100% sure.

They sat there until she had wondered further away and was sitting amongst a couple of other children playing with Lego, Ziva looked at Tony who nodded gently, they both very slowly stood up. Tali looked over at them confused, they both smiled encouragingly at her before beginning to back out of the room. Instantly she leapt up and staggered towards them calling out in indignation and confusion "ima" she cried and rushed at Ziva's legs clinging to her desperately, Ziva slowly bent and cupped Tali's face in her hands "Tali" she said gently "it's ok baby, mommy and daddy are going to work and you are going to stay here and have so much fun"

Tali frowned in confusion "no" she whimpered "stay with ima". Tony could see the sadness in Ziva's eyes.

"hey little ninja" he said crouching next to Ziva "mommy and daddy need to go to work" "I come" she said confused "no ninja, you stay and play" he said "look at all the toys they have here sweetheart, you can play with them all"

Tali looked at him beseechingly "play at work" she said "nah" Tony said gently "play here ninja, trust me, it will be fun" Tali gripped his sleeve, clinging to him "hey now" he said "you go play and if you really don't like it we will come and get you yeah"

Tali eyed him uncertainly, then she pulled a very Ziva like face and frowned determinedly before giving a small nod "that's my girl" he said smiling at her. He glanced at Ziva who smiled and hugged Tali as she reached out to her, when she was done he pulled Tali close "have fun little ninja" he said "ok dada" she mumbled.

They stood and Tali looked at them, they turned and walked towards the door, before they left though they turned again, she was still standing looking at them indecision on her face but then the carer Sarah came over and crouched next to Tali, speaking gently to her, Tali listened and then nodded, then she looked at her mommy and daddy and a small uncertain smile slid onto her face and she raised her hand and waved. Tony saw Ziva relax slightly as they both waved back and watched Tali hesitantly take Sarah's offered hand and follow her towards the other children.

They drove to work in silence and when they arrived at their floor and headed into their bullpen Gibbs looked up at them, a small smile flickered onto his face as he saw their slightly unhappy faces "she ok" he asked gently, Tony nodded "she was fine, then we tried to leave and you would have thought we were leaving her somewhere horrible, she clung to Ziva's legs protesting, saying she wanted to play at work not there but we convinced her that it would be more fun there" Gibbs smiled "trust me, she will love it there, most kids are apprehensive at first then they realise how much fun they are going to have and forget to be grumpy about being left".

Tony smiled "I hope she forgets to be grumpy" he said "she is like Ziva and can really hold a grudge", Ziva scowled "and she can be like you and not stop complaining" she fired back making Tony scowl whilst she smiled sweetly at him, Gibbs shook his head and then cleared his throat "right" he said "to work everyone" instantly they slipped over to their desks still scowling at each other but Gibbs knew it wouldn't last too long, they were madly in love with each other, anyone could see that, he was glad they still bickered occasionally, it proved to him that they could still work together as they had done before Tali, and that had been quite professional.

XOXOXO

It was strange without Tali Ziva decided, she kept looking up suddenly worried about why she couldn't hear Tali playing happily worried that she had wondered off, then she would see that there were no toys spread across the bullpen floor, no crayons scattered by Tony's desk just waiting for him to slip on, and no daughter laughing as she sat on someone's lap being loved. She wasn't there and it was strange.

At lunch she and Tony went for a walk, they strolled slowly around and ended up looking into the park that they took Tali too often at lunch time, they watched the other children playing. Ziva wanted to call the day-care and check on Tali but knew that she shouldn't, so she refrained, she glanced at Tony and saw that he looked how she felt, she shifted closer and rested her head affectionately on his shoulder and felt him wrap his arm around her pulling her close.

When they headed back inside they felt slightly better, the day care centre hadn't called saying that Tali was unhappy and wanted to be picked up so she must be fine, they worked with a new frenzy eager to finish, Gibbs watched them then he moved over to Tony's desk as Ziva headed down to talk to Abby about some evidence, he looked up at him expectantly, Gibbs looked at his watch "go get her" he said softly "you're not going to be that early and you can pick her up whenever you want can't you, so why don't you go get her and bring her back for a bit", Tony smiled "yeah" he said "it is way too quiet here", Gibbs nodded and clapped him on the shoulder "go fetch your little ninja DiNozzo" "yes boss" he said with a twinkle in his eyes "if you insist, it will be a nice surprise for Ziva" Gibbs nodded "better hurry then" he said.

XOXOXO

When Tony arrived at the centre he hurried in eagerly where he gave his name and Sarah came over "hello Agent DiNozzo" she said with a smile on her face "hey" he said "how has she been" Sarah grinned "come see for yourself" she said and led him out to the garden where the children were all running around excitedly, Sarah pointed to a sand pit and he spotted Tali sitting in the sand with two other girls making a sand castle.

"she has been absolutely fine" Sarah said "and I am not just saying that, she was quiet for maybe the first hour but then when she got playing she was fine, she got on really well with the other children and has been playing all day, she really likes the sand pit" Tony smiled, "glad she was ok" he said, Sarah smiled and then called out "Tali look who is here"

Tali looked up in confusion and then her face split into a huge beam of delight as she spotted her father "daddy" she squealed in delight and abandoned her sandcastle and leapt out of the pit and rushed towards them, Tony grinned "hey there my little ninja" he said as he bent down to scoop her up, smiling he brought her in against his chest, hugging her tightly as she hugged him back, he looked at her "did you have a good day ninja" she nodded "play in sand" she said pointing "yeah I saw short stuff" he said "so do you want to come back again" he asked, she thought about it and then nodded "ok" she said, he grinned "that's my girl" he said proudly and she beamed happily "so what do you say" he said pointedly, she turned to Sarah "thank you" she said "no problem Tali, glad you had fun, see you soon ok" Tali nodded, "come on then princess, let's go give mommy a surprise shall we" Tali nodded so they headed inside and picked up her rucksack and carefully pulled on her coat and Tony carried her out to the car and placed her in her seat, he grinned at her as he began the drive, he couldn't wait to see Ziva's face when he brought her in.

XOXOXO

When Ziva returned to the bullpen she was surprised to find it void of her husband "where's Tony" she asked Gibbs as she passed his desk "running an errand" he said simply "will be back very soon, did Abby have anything new" he asked, "she managed to get a partial print off of a beer can we found at the scene but there were no hits in any database" Gibbs nodded "well it's a start" he said and Ziva nodded and settled herself down at her desk, she continued to work until she heard the elevator ding and looking up she saw Tony exiting "hey Zee" he said "I brought you a little present" she raised her eyebrows "oh really" she said "am I going to like it" she asked, out of the corner of her eye she saw Gibbs smile.

Tony grinned "I hope so" he said "because I don't think I can take it back"

"mommy" Tali squealed leaping round the little wall and rushing round Ziva's desk, Ziva laughed in delight and scooped her daughter up hugging her tightly, she sighed contentedly and kissed the top of her head as her daughter snuggled in against her chest "hello my tateleh" she said happily "did you have fun" Tali nodded "I play in sand" she said proudly" she smiled "and she says she wants to go back and play there again" Tony said with a grin as he sat back down behind his desk, Ziva smiled relieved "glad you had fun tateleh" she said, Tali smiled happily then she looked round

"Gampa Gibbs" she said and slid off of her mother's lap to go say hi, she rushed round and he smiled as he picked her up and sat her on his knee "hello short stuff so day care is good" she nodded "I am glad sweetheart" he said with a smile, "I am glad" he looked down into her beautiful eyes, a burning green gold that captured his heart every time he looked into them.

She smiled at him, that sweet innocent smile that made his breath catch in his throat and brought back memories of his own sweet little girl, weakly he smiled back before kissing her brow and allowing her to slide down to greet McGee and then rush back to Ziva to tell her mommy about her day, he watched her, she had just taken a big step, allowing herself to be left alone at day care and she had taken it surprisingly well, but then she did have a ninja ex Mossad mother and Tony for a father, she was bound to take things differently to other children, she was totally unique and completely irresistible.

XOXOXO

Over the next couple of months Tali became more and more comfortable going to day care, though she loved to come back to NCIS even if it was just for an hour afterwards to tell the team about her day, at first she only went two days a week but slowly they increased it as and when they needed to. She was no longer uncertain about going in and would run in quite happily after saying goodbye and go play with other children her own age. But her delight whenever one or both of her parents came to pick her up never changed, she would run to them excitedly eager to tell them about her day, and they loved that, it made them all feel more comfortable about leaving her. The day care did seem to help her; she became more confident and eager to try more things.

Gibbs smiled as he thought about her, his little granddaughter, his little pride and joy, she was perfect in every way to him.

Just then his phone rang and he looked down and saw that it was Tony, "hey DiNozzo where are you" he asked "hey boss um we err are kinda stuck in traffic and well even with Ziva driving I um don't think we can get to the day care in time to pick up Tali" Gibbs glanced at the clock "relax DiNozzo, I will go get her" he said calmly grabbing his coat "are you sure boss" "of course DiNozzo just give the day care a ring and tell them I am coming to pick her up, I will be there in a few minutes" "ok thanks boss" Tony said gratefully "there is a spare car seat somewhere behind one of our desks" "ok got it, see you in a bit"

He smiled as he located the spare seat behind Tony's desk and carried it down to his car, of course he didn't mind picking Tali up, he loved the idea of having a bit if time with her to himself, so with a smile he headed off.

XOXOXO

When he arrived he explained to the secretary who he was and showed her his badge, she had obviously received the call from Tony because she nodded and had him follow her into the main room where all the children were playing, the secretary called out "Tali DiNozzo" and he spotted her as she stood up and looked over, a big grin split across her face and she dashed over to him "gampa Gibbs" she exclaimed "why you here" she asked confused, he smiled as he bent to pick her up "I came to pick you up short stuff, mommy and daddy are stuck in traffic so we are heading back to NCIS to wait for them, that ok" she nodded eagerly and ran over to the little cloak room to grab her little bag and her coat before running back over and taking his proffered hand, Gibbs smiled as he enclosed her tiny little soft hand in his larger rougher one and led her out to his car and helped her in.

"I like your car Gampa" she said, he glanced in the rear view mirror at her "thank you" he said "don't you like mommy and daddy's car" she nodded "it goes fast" she said, then she frowned "when mommy is driving" he chuckled "oh really" he mused grinning at her, she nodded again

"I think funny" she said "daddy go funny colour" she added, Gibbs laughed briefly "I think we all do when your mommy is driving" he said and she grinned "I like it" she said grinning "of course you do" he said and then he said to himself under his breath "I so pity your father when you are older and learn to do things like your mother"

He looked back at her "are you hungry sweet pea" he asked, she nodded, he smiled "let's go get some food first then shall we" her eyes lit up and she nodded excitedly.

XOXOXO

Half an hour later he arrived back at NCIS carrying a large bag of food and with Tali on his hip, as he entered the bullpen, McGee looked up exhaustedly "hey boss hello kiddo" he said as Tali waved "hey McGee" Gibbs said setting the bag on his desk "anything new" McGee shook his head "but Tony called again, he said that they were about half an hour away" Gibbs nodded "that's ok" he said "though there might not be much food left" he asked as he pulled out the containers as Tali scrambled up onto his chair and he handed her the box of chicken nuggets and fries and her cup of orange juice before pulling out more food and handing it to McGee "thank you" McGee said looking surprised but pleased, and for a while the only sound in their bullpen was the sound of chewing.

Then the doors to the elevator opened and Tony and Ziva appeared looking rather exhausted "hi mommy hi daddy" Tali squealed, they both smiled "hey ninja" Tony said heading over "thanks boss for picking her up" he noticed the food all over her face "and for feeding her, really appreciate it" "no problem DiNozzo" Gibbs said "she has been a little angel haven't you sweet pea" Tali grinned proudly "now take the rest of the food and go home" Gibbs said "I bet Tali isn't the only one who is tired" they both nodded and Ziva opened her arms and sleepily Tali lifted hers and allowed her mother to scoop her up and hug her tightly "thanks again" Tony said as he grabbed what was left of the food and Tali's stuff "any time Tony, I am her godfather" he said "now scoot"

Tony grinned as he followed Ziva to the elevator, he loved how much Gibbs had accepted Tali and how he spoiled her rotten, they definitely wouldn't have been able to find a better godfather for her, that he had no doubt.

**Hi I know crappy ending, it has just been so long since I updated that I wanted to add a new chapter, I am afraid that as exam period is approaching updates might not be so frequent, but I will do my best I promise.**

**If you have any chapter suggestions I would love to hear them **

**If you can't wait to find out what happens then you know what to do :D**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi thanks for all the reviews, please keep them coming, they are all much appreciated. Tell me if you think I should up the rating after this chapter, I just wanted to answer some unanswered questions that I have had for a while about Ziva's time in Somalia, I think it helps show us how much she depends on Tony and how much he is willing to give for her.**

**Hope you like this chapter too.**

Chapter 15 – Scars, Scares and Surprises

Ziva smiled as she stepped into the day care centre and heard a cry of "ima" from across the room, she smiled and bent to catch hold of her tiny daughter as she came hurtling across the room towards her "hello sweetheart" she said softly "have you had a good day" "yeah" Tali said excitedly "we made our hand and feet prints", Ziva looked at her questioningly so Tali reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper with hand and feet prints on it "those are my hands" she said proudly pointing "and those are my feet" Ziva smiled "very good tateleh" she praised "shall we go show that to daddy and the rest of the team" Tali nodded eagerly and took her hand happily and followed her out to the car.

Ziva smiled as she lifted Tali up and placed her into her car seat carefully strapping her in as she chattered away happily before heading back to NCIS, Tali happily took her hand and followed her into the building waiting patiently whilst they went through security and then she rushed eagerly ahead and reached up on her tiptoes to press the up button and rushed eagerly into the elevator as it arrived, Ziva lifted her so that she could press the correct button for their floor before placing her back on her feet so that as the doors opened with a ding she could rocket out of the elevator towards the bullpen, she slipped round the other agents who were well used to her by now and it seemed to be just a natural reaction for them now to at this time when the elevator dinged to step out of the way of the young DiNozzo.

"Daddy" Tali squealed as she rushed into the bullpen "look what I make", Tony smiled as he picked her up and set her on his lap "very good princess" he praised "are those your hand and feet prints" Tali nodded and placed her tiny hand over the hand print "see" she said proudly "yeah I see" Tony said with a smile "go show Grandpa Gibbs" he said spotting his boss coming back from MTAC, Tali slipped off of his lap and rushed towards Gibbs "Grandpa" she called.

Gibbs looked up and his face softened as he caught sight of his granddaughter "hello sweet pea" he said as he bent down picking her up and resting her on his hip "how was your day" "good thank you" she said sweetly "how was yours" he smiled as he walked back towards his bullpen "oh well you know, had to keep an eye on your mommy and daddy cus they don't stop bickering do they sweetheart", she giggled and then gave a tiny sigh "no" she said rather seriously making him smile again "we do" Ziva and Tony said together, Gibbs raised his eyebrows at them "I think that is the first time the two of you have agreed on something all day" he said "ah c'mon boss it is just friendly banter" Tony said, Gibbs rolled his eyebrows "one of the reasons why I haven't stepped in" he said "the other being that I know you two don't get mad at each other over little things and you have this little one to keep entertained" he looked at Tali and then spotted the painting in her hand "did you make that sweet pea" he asked "yeah" she said proudly "well it's very good" he said sitting down to look at it, she grinned pleased.

Gibbs looked at her parents "ready for tomorrow" he asked "no" they both said together, they grinned at each other before looking back at him "I don't want her to become two" Tony whined "I like her now when she is cute and cuddly and so innocent" Gibbs smiled and looked at their daughter still in his arms "don't worry Tony, she will still be cute for a long time and she will always be your little girl" "no" Tali said indignantly "I a big girl" everyone laughed and Gibbs ruffled her hair before setting her back on her feet she looked at them all indignantly "I a big girl" she repeated "nah" Tony said scooping her up and raising her high above her head "you'll always be our little girl ninja" she squealed as he whirled her around laughing loudly.

Gibbs rolled his eyes "head home everyone" he said, he looked at Tony and Ziva "take it you asked to be taken off the on call list for tomorrow" they both nodded and he smiled "can we pop round" he asked "err we were expecting you to" Tony said as he picked up Tali's jacket and helped her into it, Gibbs smiled "ok then, see you tomorrow, bye bye sweet pea" he called "bye grandpa" she called.

XOXOXO

When they arrived home Tali rushed straight towards her room eager to play with her toys, and Tony moved to the kitchen and Ziva placed a couple of fish fingers on a tray along with some chips and placed it in the oven for Tali's dinner, she looked over at Tony who was studying a picture of the three of them at NCIS, Abby had taken it for them just after Tali's first birthday, Tali was in Ziva's arms grinning at the camera, Tony had his arms round Ziva, both of them were smiling happily too, it was the perfect image of their family.

Ziva looked at Tony "guess we are going to have to update that hey" she said softly, he nodded and gave her a small smile "why does time have to fly by so fast" he asked, she smiled "so that we learn to capture those little moments because they will give us a life time of memories" she responded, he smiled weakly at her "so are we going to try for number 2" he asked wrapping his arms around her, she ducked her head and her hand went to her belly "I don't know Tony, I would love another one but I don't think I can" he frowned and looked at her in confusion "what do you mean" he asked concerned, she chewed her lip, "I never thought I would be able to have any children Tony, not after Somalia" "what happened in Somalia" Tony asked softly, she didn't answer she just gently pulled away from him and opened the cupboard and pulled out a plate for Tali and her cup then she moved over to the fridge and pulled out some juice and began to fill the cup.

She sensed Tony come up behind her and then his hands gently enclosed hers forcing her to stop what she was doing, then he pulled her round, she avoided eye contact until he took her chin and gently pulled her head up "Zee" he said softly, she looked at him slowly, his eyes were so concerned "what did they do to you in Somalia" he asked "you never talk about it, yet I know it scares you and something terrible happened to you out there" she looked at him "it is not something you need to hear Tony" she said she didn't want to upset him, he glanced towards Tali's room where they could hear her playing happily then he looked back at her, she looked at him before sliding past him

"Ziva were you raped" he asked, she stopped moving and just stood there, then very slowly she nodded, she heard him exhale sharply and then his arms slipped around her waist, she leaned against him not speaking.

Tony looked at her, her face was expressionless, but her eyes were slightly wider than usual and he felt her shudder slightly "oh Ziva" he murmured feeling anger course through him, she looked at him and he saw tears in her eyes "I'm sorry" he said cupping her face "I should have never brought it up" "No" she said softly "it is fine Tony, I have come to terms with what happened to me" he looked at her and then used a finger to brush a tear away "then why are you crying" he asked softly, she shrugged and leaned against him again and he felt her body shake slightly "oh Ziva" he said again hugging her tightly.

She didn't cry, she just leaned against him and he held her then he heard her speak softly "when Saleem was not interrogating me, he didn't care what happened to me, as long as I was fine, that meant that his men had free rein over me, they usually came in groups, three or four and they would hold me down, pinning my arms and legs down whilst another would… hurt me, then they would switch places" she paused and Tony rubbed her back "you don't have to tell me Ziva" he said but she shook her head and continued "that happened a lot, I don't know how often because I lost track of time whilst I was there, over and over again, at first I resisted, I would scream and bit kick and never make it easy for them" she shuddered again "but by the end of it I had given up on everything, I didn't even resist Tony, and afterwards I felt so bad because I was trained never to give up, I was convinced that I was going to die" she looked at him "and then you found me" she whispered "and you saved me" he hugged her tight as she continued

"when I got back I went to the hospital, they told me that my womb was badly damaged by the repeated rape and that I may not be able to get pregnant ever, and at the time that was fine because I never thought I would be lucky enough to meet the guy to have a family with, so then when I discovered that I was pregnant I was amazed and so happy, after I had Tali though the doctor told me I may not be able to have another, but I was just happy that I had one" Tony looked at her and then he kissed her slowly and passionately.

"Ziva I will always love you and protect you, I want to give you everything I can give you to make you happy because whatever happens I am undeniably happy with you, whether we have just one child or 10 children I will be happy, because you Ziva DiNozzo are my soul mate"

She clung to him tightly "thank you Tony" she whispered "I believe that you are my soul mate too" he smiled and rested his forehead against hers gazing in to her eyes, they were still wet with tears so he brushed them away gently, wishing he could brush away all her memories of that place just as easily

They remained like that until a little voice interrupted them "ima sad" they both looked down to see Tali standing there looking up at them confused and upset "no tateleh" Ziva assured her "ima is not upset, she is very very happy" she picked her daughter up "because ima has you doesn't she" Tali nodded and hugged her "and I happy because I has you" she said, Ziva smiled and rested her head on Tali's hugging her tightly, kissing her cheek before just cradling her tight, Tony smiled at them before pulling them both into his arms, as he held them close he made a silent vow – that he would protect his girls from ever feeling pain no matter what the cost.

XOXOXO

A few hours later Tony came into their room after putting Tali to bed, reading her a story and watching her slowly fall asleep snuggled up under the blankets. He found Ziva standing in front of the mirror staring at her reflection, she was dressed in shorts and a bra that was it and her hand was very slowly tracing a scar that ran across her belly. Tony had seen that scar before, he had seen them all, he had memorised every inch of her body, classing it the most beautiful body ever, many might not agree, considering her blemished and her beauty marred by the scars but Tony did not think of her scars as flaws, they were a part of her and he loved every part of her.

Her scars were marks from her past, marks from her pain and her suffering, they reminded her of her past, showing that it was always there and you could hide it but it would always be there, but Tony considered them marks of strength, her courage and pride, her determination and bravery, the scars made her who she was, and he loved every part of her.

He moved over to her and wrapped his arms around her gently, stopping her hand in its path tracing up and down the scar, very gently he took over massaging it gently, she leaned against him staring at her reflection "hey" he said softly "what is wrong Zee" she shook her head "I am just confused" she whispered "about what" he asked, her eyes flicked up to him in the reflection "how can you love someone as broken as me" she whispered, he froze and looked at her, then he pulled her over to the bed and sat her down "Ziva don't ever say that again" he said fiercely cupping her face "you are not broken" "yes I am Tony" she whispered "I am damaged goods" "no" he said "No Ziva you are not" she looked at him dully.

"Ziva you are not broken, these scars are not cracks or flaws to me, they are colours in the painting of your life and your painting is so bright and beautiful that they are not important parts of it to me, but without them, your painting is not complete Ziva, they are mere brushes of your life, strokes on the canvas, the most bravest and strongest of people have scars Ziva" he looked at her lovingly "the scars are there Zee but scars represent how the wounds have closed over and healed, they are done, do not dwell on them Ziva, they are what make you beautiful to me, your past has closed over and you have healed from that time, you are done with your past now Zee" he looked at her before raising his hand to run his thumb across a scar on her shoulder, she slowly looked down at them, he kissed her forehead gently before whispering "hey Zee" she looked at him "ani ohev otcha" he said softly and passionately "I love you Ziva, always and forever"

She looked at him before leaning forwards and kissing him wrapping her arms around his neck before gasping as they fell backwards onto the bed, he looked up at her and tangled his fingers into her hair before reaching up to kiss a couple of her scars "you are beautiful Ziva, what makes you different, makes you beautiful to me" she smiled and kissed him back "I love you Tony" she whispered "You make me feel beautiful" he smiled at her, carefully she lay down on top of him he ran his hands over her back tracing each scar he encountered lovingly and she smiled at him and lay there, she did feel happy and ready to put her past behind her.

XOXOXO

When Ziva woke she could hear movement besides the bed, she felt Tony stir behind her, she heard the rustle again and she stiffened, her hand sliding under her pillow and closing round the handle of her gun, she lay there until she felt a gentle pressure on the end of her bed and she tensed, she began to ease the gun out from under the pillow when she suddenly felt Tony's hand still hers "Ziva" he hissed she opened her eyes uncertainly to find a small pair of exact copies of her husband's eyes staring at her.

She released the gun and sat up "Tali" she said in confusion as Tony sat up too, they both looked at each other "I didn't get her" Tony said, she shook her head "me neither" they frowned "Tali how did you get out of your crib" Ziva asked reaching over to lift her daughter up and onto the bed, she instantly snuggled down in between them "I climb out" she said proudly before closing her eyes, Tony and Ziva both looked at each other and then slipped out of the bed and moved into their daughters room and studied the crib "she climbed out of that" Tony said in amazement, Ziva just stared stunned, she glanced at the clock; 3am. "Let's put her back in it" she said "it is way too early" Tony nodded and they moved back into their room where Tali had fallen asleep in the middle of the bed.

Tony carefully scooped her up and carried her out of their room, Ziva followed watching Tali cling to Tony's shoulder unconsciously, gently Tony lay her back down and covered her with the blanket, she shifted before curling up on her side clutching Bernie the hippo tightly, they very carefully crept out leaving the door just slightly ajar as always before slipping back into their bed and curling up again together under the sheets and closed their eyes.

They were just drifting off when there was a small thump and then their door opened and they both sat up as a tiny figure launched herself onto their bed whimpering as she burrowed down under the covers "Tali" Ziva said gently peeling the sheet away to look at her daughter "what is wrong tateleh", Tali stared at them with wide eyes "monster in cupboard" she whimpered, Tony looked at Ziva "hey ninja" he said "it was just a dream princess, there are no monsters in the cupboard, come see" "no" she cried, "shh" Ziva soothed "it's ok baby no monster is going to hurt you" Tali stared at them clutching Bernie tightly, Ziva looked at Tony who shrugged tiredly "do you want to sleep with us tateleh" she asked gently "just this once" Tali nodded so they carefully settled down on either side of her cocooning her small body between theirs, soon she settled down and drifted off to sleep.

"Zee" Tony said tiredly "mm" she said "remind me to ask Gibbs how to lower the crib tomorrow" he said with a yawn, she smiled "mm will do" she said, there was silence before he added "oh and remind me not to let her watch _Monster's Inc_. for a few years"

XOXOXO

When morning arrived Ziva rolled over to see Tali curled up pressed against Tony's chest, he had one arm draped over her, holding her protectively close against his bare chest and she smiled at the two of them before sliding up out of the bed, the first thing she did was go into Tali's room and check the crib looking for any way that she might have gotten out other than climbing over, but there was none so she found herself staring at it in surprise, Tali was certainly very agile if she had managed to hoist herself over the top of the rails twice in the space of an hour. She shook her head and moved into the kitchen settling the kettle to boil, then she heard movement and looked over to see Tali standing there clad in her little pink pyjamas, barefoot and clutching Bernie, "hello tateleh" Ziva said bending to her daughter's level, Tali moved forward and hugged her sleepily "you feel better now" she asked, Tali nodded "no monsters" she checked, Ziva smiled "I checked tateleh no monsters I promise" she smiled "why don't you go wake daddy Tali" her eyes brightened and she took off back to the bedroom, Ziva followed and watched her scramble onto the bed and poke Tony "daddy wake up" she commanded, Tony moaned and covered his eyes "daddy" Tali said again "up daddy please" when asking nicely didn't work she looked at her mother before she backed off and then leapt at Tony.

Tony yelped loudly as something cannoned into his stomach, he sat up sharply looking down to find Tali giggling on his lap "oh ninja not funny" he mumbled "she did ask nicely" Ziva said from the doorway, he sighed "sorry ninja daddy was tired" she grinned "on the plus side" he said with a grin "is it your birthday today ninja" she nodded excitedly "and how old are you today" he checked, grinning she held up two fingers "good girl" he praised "now we should all get up and dressed before the team arrives" "since you are the only one who isn't up, I think you are talking about yourself" Ziva said, he pouted at her as she smiled sweetly "come on Tali lets go get you dressed yes" Tali nodded and slid off the bed running to take her mother's hand.

She entered her room apprehensively before holding her head high and looking around determinedly, Ziva smiled as she tugged a pair of leggings and a little red top out of the cupboard and moved over to her daughter and she helped her get changed, when they came out Tony grinned at them already dressed for the day "hey there ninja" he said "what's for breakfast" she ran forward to decide and Ziva slipped off to get dressed.

When she came back Tali's face was covered in chocolate "Tony" she said looking at her daughter "aw it's her birthday Zee let her have some fun" he said with a grin, Ziva rolled her eyes before filling a cup with coffee "do you think we are going to have to invest in a toddler bed soon" she asked, he shrugged "depends how far Gibbs can lower the bed" he said and she smiled.

Ziva was just finishing wiping all the chocolate off of Tali's hands and face when there was a knock at the door "why don't we go see who that is ninja" Tony said scooping her up and carrying her to the door, he set her down before opening the door, Tali grinned in delight and leapt at Gibbs as he stepped into the apartment "hello sweet pea" he said scooping her up into a hug "happy birthday" he said, she grinned "thank you" she said sweetly, he kissed her forehead before setting her down so that Abby could sweep her up into her arms gushing away at her making her giggle.

He moved into the kitchen where Ziva was standing "hello Ziver" he said hugging her "how are you" "tired" she said, he looked at her "Tali managed to climb out of her cot twice last night" she explained "and refused to go back in the second time because she was terrified of monsters" he smiled "do you want me to lower the mattress for you" he asked, she nodded gratefully "I don't want her hurting herself climbing out" she explained, he smiled "don't worry they all do that" he assured her, she smiled before looking over to where Tali was giggling with Abby "shall we get started on the presents" Tony asked "whilst it is still light" everyone laughed and moved into the living room.

XOXOXO

Once again Tali was totally spoiled getting a lot of toys, her eyes were wide as saucers as she was presented with new gifts and she happily ran from person to person saying 'thank you' over and over again hugging them tightly making everyone smile.

She got a cute little play kitchen with pots and pans and a box of 'food' so she could 'cook like ima' as she stated proudly, a lot of paint and other art supplies, a little wooden house made for her by Gibbs painted in bright colours, a bubble machine and a little bike which she was soon sitting on laughing loudly as Tony pushed her round and round the living room "Tony the purpose of that toy was to get her to learn to ride a bike, not for you to push her round on it" Ziva said watching at they rolled past "ah another time" Tony said before slowing it "ok phew daddy tired now ninja" he said as Tali looked at him confused as to why he had stopped. She received a lot of gifts and the look on her face made everyone smile.

They just ordered a pizza in for lunch and Tali nibbled at her pieces happily, after they had eaten Tony and Gibbs headed into Tali's room and lowered the crib bed so their little monkey couldn't climb out any more whilst Abby, McGee and Ziva began to shift some of the toys around trying to make it all fit "ok you guys definitely need to move" McGee said, Ziva looked at the pile of toys "I just hope she doesn't want anything at the bottom any time soon" they both laughed.

Tony stood back with Gibbs and looked at their handy work "yeah I think that will hold her" Tony said with a laugh, Gibbs chuckled "don't be over confident Tony" he said "after all you have given her the nickname ninja" Tony looked at Tali who was crawling in and out of the little house, taking some books in to 'read'. "coping ok Tony" Gibbs asked studying his agent, he had changed over the past couple of years, he had gone from the cheeky solo DiNozzo to the kind wonderful husband and father Tony, father to the sweetest little girl alive "what do you mean" Tony asked "well she is growing up fast Tony" he sighed "yeah I know" he said "but as Ziva says, things always come quicker than they should" Gibbs clapped him on the shoulder "don't worry you get used to having to savour every second" Tony smiled before he went serious "how do you manage it boss" he asked, Gibbs looked at him "manage what"

Tony hesitated "how do you manage to carry on after losing Shannon and Kelly" he asked, "because I have thought about life without them and god I can't even consider it, it hurts to even think about it, if I lost them I wouldn't be able to cope, how do you do it, lose everything you ever cared about, your little girl and still manage to get out of bed in the mornings"

Gibbs looked at him "it wasn't easy" he said eventually "and it took time, a lot of time but it got easier to go outside, to see little girls laughing whilst yours couldn't, to see fathers hugging their daughters whilst you would never have that privilege again and to watch men hold their loved ones and know that you will never hold your one true love again, it wasn't easy but I managed to move on" he looked at him "I got two great sons and daughters and a perfect granddaughter to help" he said, Tony smiled weakly "you won't lose Ziva and Tali, you will be there to protect them always, I was deployed when they were…killed but you will be there, not that Ziva will need protecting and if Tali takes after her mother she won't either" Tony smiled "true" he said "I did marry a kick ass"

"I hope that was meant as a compliment" Ziva said from where she stood in the doorway holding Tali's hand "otherwise you might find out how kick ass I can be" Tony smiled innocently at her "oh definitely a compliment Zee, don't you think little ninja" "I not little" Tali said indignantly "I big girl, I two" "yes you are a big girl" Tony said "sorry ninja" she grinned and held up her arms for him to lift her up.

Gibbs smiled as he followed them into the kitchen for cake, they did make a wonderful family, caring and loving, protecting each other always and he loved being part of that family.

**Hi I know crappy ending. Sorry it took so long, exams as right on top of me sorry, so next one might take a while sorry.**

**Anyway hope you liked it, I did the bit about Somalia because it was never explained what happened to Ziva out there, and I wanted to show a more vulnerable side to her, rather than the always in control kick ass that we see – let me know if I should up the rating **

**If you have any chapter suggestions I would love to hear them **

**If you can't wait to find out what happens then you know what to do :D**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi everyone sorry this took so long, right in the thick of exams so it is difficult to find the time to write sorry, but I promise I will be updating faster after the exams. Anyway hope you like this one.**

Chapter 16 – Lucky

Ziva slid her key into the lock and had her usual battle with the door, trying to get it open, she finally opened the door and slipped in shutting and locking it behind her, she could hear giggling from the living room and looking round she saw Tony sprawled across the sofa with Tali lying on his chest and they were watching a cartoon movie "hey Zee" Tony called "how'd it go" she moved into the kitchen "it was alright" she said "he didn't confess to the murder but we have enough evidence to convict him" she filled a glass with water before she moved back into the living room "what are you watching" she asked sitting down next to him, Tali crawled off of Tony and onto Ziva mumbling "hello ima" making her smile and hug her daughter "_Lion King_" Tony said, she rolled her eyes "you two are always watching that one" she said "that because it is the greatest kids movie there is, isn't it ninja", Tali nodded, her eyelids were drooping as she cuddled up against Ziva's chest

"she wouldn't go to bed" Tony said "she wanted to stay up to say night night to you, she was very stubborn so I figured I would get her to wind down on the sofa watching a movie" "well it worked" Ziva said with a smile as Tali struggled to keep her eyes open and she yawned widely "come on tateleh" Ziva said lifting her daughter up into her arms "time for bed sweetheart" Tali didn't even protest, she just rested her head on Ziva's shoulder and allowed her to carry her into her room, she sat her on the little chair in the corner of the room and then fetched her pyjamas and carefully dressed her in them.

"come on then" she said softly lifting her up, she gently began to sing to Tali in Hebrew under her breath as she hugged her for a minute rocking her gently from side to side,

Numi, numi yaldati, (Sleep, sleep, my little girl)  
>Numi, numi, nim. (Sleep, sleep.)<br>Numi, numi k'tanati, (Sleep, sleep, my little one,)  
>Numi, numi, nim. (Sleep, sleep.)<p>

Aba halach la'avoda - (Daddy's gone to work -)  
>Halach, halach Aba. (He went, daddy went)<br>Yashuv im tzeit halevana – (he'll return when the moon comes out)  
>Yavi lach matana! (he'll bring you a present)<p>

Numi, numi yaldati, (sleep, sleep my little girl)  
>Numi, numi k'tanati, (sleep sleep my little one)<br>Numi, numi, nim.(sleep sleep)

Still singing softly she carried Tali over to her crib and very gently laid her down tucking her up under the blanket and placing Bertie next to her, Tali's hand unconsciously curled around the hippo's leg and she held him tight.

Slowly and quietly Ziva backed out of the room and into the living room, Tony was still watching _The Lion King_ "seriously" she said "you can watch that some other time" he grinned "good movie though" he said as he picked up the remote and stopped it, she rolled her eyes "pretty song" he said, she smiled "how do you know that" he asked, she smiled and lowered her head "my mother used to sing that to me when I was Tali's age" "oh" he said, she smiled "it was a long time ago Tony" she murmured smiling at him, he looked at her "what happened to her" he asked gently "you never talk about her" Ziva looked at him "she is dead" she said softly "she was killed", Tony dropped his gaze "I am sorry" he murmured, she looked at him "don't be" she said softly "it happened a long time ago, I have gotten used to the fact that I will never see her again" he pulled her into his arms and she lay across his chest.

"do you ever worry that with our job, something might happen to one of us" he asked "and do you ever worry who would look after Tali" Ziva looked up at him "yes" she admitted "every time we pull out our guns of head into a dangerous situation I have a chill of fear running through me, I fear what would happen if you got shot, how would I explain to Tali that her daddy isn't coming home, but" she said with a small smile "I don't worry about what would happen to her if we both died" he looked at her "come on" she said "you really think Gibbs is going to let anything happen to her" he laughed, "that's true" he said, then he gazed at her "I actually hate watching you running into danger now" he admitted "I panic about how Tali will turn out if I have to raise her alone without her mommy" Ziva smiled "I am sure she would turn out fine" she said with a smile, he looked at her with raised eyebrows, she grinned at him "ok I worry a little" she teased and he stuck his tongue out at her playfully making her grin.

"do you fancy bringing Tali into work for the whole day tomorrow" Tony asked "Abby is getting hissy that she doesn't get to see her enough" Ziva smiled "I do miss having her around all day" she admitted, he grinned "well then let us go to bed so we have plenty of energy for watching our little ninja tomorrow" she rolled her eyes at him as she led the way to the bedroom.

XOXOXO

McGee nearly leapt out of his skin as a small voice cried out "Boo McGee" from next to him, he looked down to see Tali standing grinning at him, her eyes shining with the same mischievous attitude as her father, she giggled at his shock "got you Uncle McGee" she said "daddy" she continued whirling round and running towards Tony who was settling himself into his chair, as was Ziva who was rolling her eyes at her daughters antics "I did it daddy I made McGee jump" Tony grinned and held out his hand for a high five, which she gave him grinning madly "atta girl princess, good job" he picked her up and set her on his knee "later I will teach you how to glue his fingers to his keyboard"

"No" three voices said as Ziva and McGee were joined by Gibbs as he entered the bullpen "DiNozzo leave her innocent for a bit longer" Gibbs said "aw but it is fun to tease McProbie" Tony whined, Gibbs gave him a look making his agent sigh "fine" he said with a sigh and swung his chair round to face his computer as Tali slid off and ran to say hi to Gibbs "Grandpa I made McGee jump" she said proudly "I saw sweetheart" he said with a smile "you are like your mommy, very good at sneaking up on people" Tali grinned happily "so why you here sweet pea and not at day-care" he asked "I come to see you for the day" she said happily, Gibbs looked at Tony and Ziva "we missed having her around" Tony explained "besides Abby has been complaining for days that she doesn't get to see Tali enough" Gibbs smiled "true" he said "we don't"

Both parents smiled "oh" Gibbs said "if we finish early tonight I have a present for Tali" they both looked at him "Gibbs you spoil her" Ziva said with a smile, "aw she's worth spoiling" he said with a smile, Ziva shook her head smiling also before lifting Tali onto her lap as she came over, Tali snuggled against her chest and McGee watched Ziva, how she had changed over the last couple of years, she had gone from a crazy ninja chick as Tony had called her to a sweet caring loving mommy, who was now hugging her adorable little daughter whispering in Hebrew in her ear making her giggle and squirm happily, she sat there with Tali smiling at her daughter who sat drawing a picture now on her lap, she kept one arm wrapped around her daughter as she made some phone calls, she was a great mom and Tony apart from teaching his daughter cheeky tricks was a great dad.

Tali stayed with them for the whole morning happily until at lunchtime Abby came up and took her down to her lab much to her delight, it was a good job too because they got a call for a case and had to head off down to the crime scene for a couple of hours, Tony felt content with life as he moved around the crime scene scrounging for any bits of evidence he might find around the crime scene, he had a beautiful wife, an adorable daughter, and a great job that he loved to do, life was good he thought.

Then he yelped as Gibbs' hand collided with the back of his head "quit your daydreaming DiNozzo" he said "yes boss sorry boss" he said instantly and lifted his camera to photograph the living room. They worked quickly before heading back to the office after Ducky in the van and he and Ziva headed down to Abby's lab with their evidence, they could hear Tali laughing as they entered and they found that she was sitting on a stool playing with the facial identification software making a very oblong face giggling.

"ooo" Tony said peering at the picture "wouldn't want to run into him on a dark night" Tali twisted on her chair "hi daddy" she squealed "hey princess" he said lifting her up and placing her on his back "I'll make you an exchange Abby" he said "two boxes of evidence for one daughter" Abby grinned "hmm" she said "I suppose that is alright, ok as long as you bring her in again for the whole day soon, I don't get to see her as much as you guys down here" "yeah" Tali called from where she had her arms wrapped around Tony's neck "come here again soon" Tony rolled his eyes "alright" he said "come on princess time for you and me to head home" "what about mommy" Tali asked, Ziva smiled "I am going to stay a little longer tateleh, don't worry I will be home earlier than last night, I promise" Tali nodded and tightened her grip around her father's neck as he carried her to the elevator.

"I don't mind staying" he said to Ziva "you should go home, you look tired" she smiled at him "I am fine Tony I promise, I will be no more than an hour I promise" he sighed and nodded "I just want to check one thing out" she promised "take Tali home and give her a bath" he pouted "hey I did it last time" she said "no bath" Tali said firmly making them both smile.

They entered the bullpen and Tony set her down so she could run to greet her grandpa, they saw McGee hastily wipe the pictures of their dead marine of the screens as he saw her approach, Gibbs smiled and scooped her up "hello monkey" he said placing their tiny daughter on his hip, she grinned happily at him "have fun with Abby" he asked, she nodded happily "good" he said "now you heading home" she sighed "yeah but I don't want a bath" she said, Gibbs chuckled at her before setting her down so that Tony could crouch and help her into her coat before picking up his bag, her bag and his daughter "see ya later" he called, pausing to kiss Ziva before he carried Tali over to the elevator.

Ziva smiled at his retreating back, her perfect family, she looked at Gibbs who nodded and she moved back to her desk where she began to pull bank records and she carefully began to go through them, until she sensed someone standing in front of her desk and she looked up to see Gibbs standing there "home Ziver" he said "now" she smiled and reached out and turned off her computer and stood "I shall see you later" Gibbs said, she looked at him quizzically, he smiled and winked at her before heading to the elevator, she stared after him before shrugging and scooping up her stuff and moving round her desk, that was when she spotted the stuffed hippo lying on Tony's desk "well that would have been hell if that got left" she muttered scooping it up and carrying it to the elevator.

She fingered the soft toy as she rode the elevator down smiling at it, Tali adored this toy, she never went to sleep without it, she stepped out into the lobby and headed out of the building towards her car, she and Tony often drove separately if they were predicting long days or one of them wanted to do something before heading home, it was good, it meant they didn't have to slack on their work or cause Tali to have to stay awake until they could leave.

XOXOXO

She arrived home to the sound of splashing and she smiled as she hung up her coat and placed her keys in the bowl as laughter rang out around the apartment, she dropped her bag on the dining room table before she moved into the bathroom where she laughed, Tali was sitting in the bath giggling as she poured water over Tony's head, he had his eyes squeezed shut but made no move to stop her until he heard Ziva laugh, he looked up "oh hey Zee" he said, "what are you doing" Ziva asked "um…" Tony said sheepishly "giving daddy a bath" Tali squealed splashing happily, she was a funny child, she was adamant not to have a bath but the moment she was placed in the bath she loved it and you had to pull her out most of the time.

Ziva smiled as she crouched down next to the bath "I see that my tateleh" she said softly, she looked at Tony "the intention was though to give her a bath" he grinned at her and Ziva rolled her eyes before crouching down and taking the bottle of baby shampoo, she carefully squeezed a small amount onto her hand before she gently rubbed it into Tali's hair, she giggled and blew soap suds away looking at her soapy hands. Once she was clean and soap free Tony pulled the plug and lifted her out wrapping her in a big fluffy towel "I'll clean up in here" he said with a grin "you get the little monkey ready for bed"

Ziva smiled and lifted Tali into her arms and exited the bathroom, just then there was a knock at the door, frowning she carried Tali over to it and opened it "Gibbs" she said in surprise "hello Ziver" he said, he looked at Tali "hello sweet pea you just got out of the bath", she nodded happily "yeah, I got to get ready for bed" "oh yeah" Gibbs said, then he dragged something into the apartment covered with a huge sheet "what is that" Ziva asked stepping out the way "well remember how a couple of months ago I lowered Tali's crib for you because she was climbing out" he said "yes" Ziva said glancing over at Tony as he emerged from the bathroom "and then last week she started to do it again" Ziva nodded.

"well I think that she might be ready for a big girl bed" Gibbs said and he whipped the sheet off to reveal a beautifully made wooden toddler bed, it was low to the ground with small side rails to prevent her falling out and a headboard with '_Talia'_ written on it. Ziva stared "Gibbs" she breathed "it is beautiful", he smiled "do you think she is ready" he asked, Ziva smiled and looked at Tali who was staring at the bed "what do you think tateleh" she asked "are you ready to sleep in a big girl bed" Tali stared and then nodded eagerly making Ziva smile "I think that is a yes" she said and Gibbs smiled.

"come on then Tony" he said "give me a hand, I will take the crib and dismantle it for you", Tony moved forward and they carefully shifted the crib whilst Ziva dried Tali off and helped her into her pyjamas, she smiled as she pulled the top down over Tali's head and Tali giggled "boo" she kissed Tali's forehead before standing and holding out her hand "come on tateleh brush your teeth" she helped Tali squirt the toothpaste onto her tooth brush and then left her happily scrubbing before heading into Tali's room where Gibbs and Tony were just finishing setting up the new bed, Ziva smiled and moved forward to hug Gibbs "thank you" she whispered "it is amazing" he smiled hugging her back "no problem Ziver, I enjoy making things for her" Ziva smiled and began to set the sheets on the bed for her daughter.

"done" Tali shouted running into her bedroom, Tony grinned catching hold of her and scooping her up "go thank Grandpa Gibbs for your new bed" he said holding her out and Gibbs caught hold of her "thank you grandpa" she said giving him a kiss on the cheek, he smiled and hugged her "no worries short stuff, no worries" he set her down and watched her clamber onto the bed, Ziva slipped out and reappeared holding Bertie the hippo "look who you left at work" she said "thank you mommy" Tali said reaching out to take the toy hugging it tightly as she snuggled down in her new bed, she grinned at them happily before closing her eyes, barely a minute later she was fast asleep.

Tony smiled as the three of them backed quietly out of the room "thanks boss" he said, Gibbs nodded "glad she likes it" he said "well that is the fastest she has fallen asleep at this time of night so yeah I think she likes it" Tony said

Gibbs smiled "do you want to stay for a while" Ziva offered and he shrugged "why not" he said and he followed them into their living room and sat on the smaller of the two sofa's whilst Ziva and Tony curled up on the other one.

"so" he said "this time three years ago would you have believed me if I had told you that you would be married with an adorable daughter", Ziva smiled "no" she said "I would not have believed it" she looked at him "would you have believed yourself" she asked.

Gibbs looked at the two of them, Ziva leaning naturally against Tony's chest her head on his shoulder, Tony had his arms around her, one hand at her waist holding her, the other playing gently with her hair, although they were both looking at him waiting for his answer, he knew they were as aware of each other as they were of themselves.

"yes I think I might" he said, they both looked at him in surprise, he smiled at them "from the moment you joined our team Ziver and I saw you two together, playing married assassins, locked in that shipping container together, just messing around in the bullpen, I knew that you two were going to cause me grief" they grinned sheepishly at him "maybe I should have just got rid of rule 12 there and then and maybe you would have saved so much time, you would have stopped dancing around with each other and confessed your feelings for each other there and then", I mean it was only a matter of time"

Ziva looked at him "why didn't you then" she asked, he looked at her "because I consider you both to be my children" he said "and no father wants to let his children go and allow then to spread their wings and fly, no they want to be there to catch their children forever, I guess I didn't want to let you go" Ziva looked at him before she slowly disentangled herself from her husband's arms and moved over to him, she leaned down and hugged him and he hugged her back holding her gently in his arms, then she pulled away to look at him with her gentle brown eyes "ever since I met you Gibbs I have considered you to be my father, you have been more of a father to me than mine ever was, I have always listened to you and respected you and I would never step away from the first father figure I have ever felt connected too" he smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

He stayed for a bit longer before deciding to head home, whilst Tony headed down to his car with part of the crib he said his goodbyes to Ziva, she hugged him and he held her as she rested her head against his chest, "good night Ziver" he said "goodnight aba" she said quietly and he felt a smile slide onto his face as he kissed her brow and released her picking up the remainder of the crib, she leaned against the doorframe watching until he was out of sight.

XOXOXO

When Tony slipped back into the apartment after helping Gibbs load the dismantled crib into the boot of his car, he saw that Ziva was leaning against the doorframe of Tali's bedroom, he slipped over to join her, wrapping his arms around her waist as he stood behind her, she leaned against him and they both looked into Tali's room where she lay sleeping.

She looked so peaceful and adorable lying there in her little purple pyjamas sleeping snuggled under the covers, Bertie clutched under her arm in a chokehold, hair already escaping from her braid.

"how did I get so lucky" Tony murmured into Ziva's hair "that I got the most beautiful woman and an adorable daughter" Ziva smiled and murmured "I ask myself the same question every day Tony" she said softly "we are the luckiest people on the planet"

Tony smiled "that we are" he said "lucky"

**Hi I know crappy ending. Sorry it took so long and it is so short, exams are right on top of me sorry, so next one might take a while sorry.**

**If you have any chapter suggestions I would love to hear them **

**If you can't wait to find out what happens then you know what to do :D**

**Let me know what you think please, as I always am I am open to any and all suggestions**

**Please review, the more reviews I get the faster I will update, promise**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl101**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi everyone, I am really sorry this one has taken so long – I have just been so busy with exams and I have had writers block for this story and had a moment of self-doubt about my writing in general, but I am going to carry on now hopefully.**

**Hope you like it.**

Chapter 17 – Separation

Tony stared at Vance "are you sure no one else can go" he asked desperately "I don't want to be apart from Ziva and Tali for a whole week" Vance frowned at him "DiNozzo we had an agreement, you and Ziva could continue to work together as long as it didn't affect your work" "boss this isn't our work relationship, this is about me not wanting to leave my wife and two year old daughter for a whole week" Vance sighed "Tony I am sorry but you are the perfect candidate and loads of other agents have children that they have to leave for a few days, and I am pretty lenient on you, I let your daughter come into work, I noticed she is in today"

Tony opened his mouth to argue then sighed closing it again, Vance was right he supposed "when do I leave" he asked grudgingly, Vance nodded approvingly "the day after tomorrow" Tony stared "so soon" he asked disappointed, Vance nodded "I am sorry, it is a rush job" Tony groaned and ran a hand through his hair "I had better go inform Ziva" he mumbled, Vance nodded and dismissed him.

Slowly Tony trudged down the stairs back to the bullpen deep in thought, he didn't want to go to Paraguay for a week, he didn't want to miss a whole week of Tali's stories from day care and chances to tease Ziva at work and love her at home, he didn't want to be apart from his family for that long 'at least' he thought with a heavy heart 'McGee is going and I can tease him'

"hi daddy" Tali squealed, he looked up and smiled as he saw her running towards him, he laughed and lifted her up raising her above his head before lowering her back into his arms "aw you're going to be too big for me to do that soon ninja" she giggled "I am going to be a big girl soon" she said happily, he smiled and hugged her tightly, savouring the moment, "Tony" he looked up when he saw Ziva looking at him concerned "is something wrong, what did Vance want" he sighed and set Tali on the floor before moving over to her.

"he is sending me on the trip to Paraguay" Ziva stared at him "what" she exclaimed "when?" he stared at her miserably "the day after tomorrow" she stared at him sadly "so soon" she whispered and he nodded with a sigh, she moved forward and leaned against his chest, he hugged her tightly, McGee looked at him awkwardly and he gave him a small nod, then he looked at Gibbs who was standing there with Tali in his arms, he gave him a reassuring nod, it would be ok, but Tony didn't feel like it would be.

"how long will you be gone" Ziva mumbled "don't know" he said softly "at least a week" she sighed "hey" he said "I'll be ok, and so will you" she looked over at her daughter "what about Tali" she asked "what are we supposed to tell her", Tony looked at his little girl chatting away to Gibbs who was listening with a smile on his face "we can just say that daddy is going away for a little while" he said "and he will be back as soon as he can" she nodded and sighed "I'll be fine Ziva" he said "McProbie is coming so he will have my back and I will have his" Ziva looked at McGee who nodded gently and she sighed again.

Gibbs came forward then and handed Tali to Tony who held her tightly, she rested her head on his shoulder affectionately "take the rest of the afternoon" Gibbs said "we have no case and you need to head home to get yourself ready and…" he glanced at Tali "break it to her, gently" they nodded "thank you boss" Tony said gently and moved over to his desk and picked up his stuff slinging it onto his back, Ziva picked up her own and followed her husband out of the building.

The drive home was silent, even Tali picked up that something was wrong and sat in the back quiet as a mouse and the whole elevator ride up to their floor she looked from one parent to the other, confused. When they entered Tony gave her a gentle push "go play in your room for a bit little ninja" he said softly, and she scampered off happily. Ziva looked at Tony as he stared after his daughter before giving a sigh and he moved over to the sofa and sat down, very slowly she moved forward and sat down next to him, curling up in his arms, he held her tightly running his fingers through her hair "I don't want you to go" she whispered, she felt him kiss her hair "I know" he said softly "and I don't want to go either but I have to, I don't want to miss a second of Tali's life, I want to be there for her throughout it all but I have to" Ziva looked at him, she looked sad "don't worry" she said softly "you will be back before you know it" he smiled and hugged her "I don't want to be apart from you either" he murmured.

She sighed and hugged him tightly until they heard gently footfalls and Tali appeared clutching Bernie "ima why you and daddy sad" she asked, Ziva smiled and reached out, Tali lifted up her arms and Ziva lifted her onto the sofa setting her next to Tony, she looked at him and he slowly nodded before sliding off the sofa and looking at his two year old "we are sad ninja because" he paused "because daddy has to go away for a little while ok" she looked at him confused "where" she asked "somewhere called Paraguay" he said "why you go Para-giii" she asked struggling with the pronunciation, Tony smiled slightly and rubbed her shoulder "I have to work in Paraguay for a little while" "me and ima come" she said confidently and her face fell when he shook his head.

"tateleh" Ziva said gently running her hand through her daughter's hair, Tali looked at her confused "you and I are going to stay here ok baby, daddy is going to go to Paraguay and you are going to stay at day care and I am going to go to work with grandpa Gibbs ok" she frowned "no we go with daddy" she said, Ziva shook her head "no baby we stay here" "but I want to stay with you and daddy" she said looking at Tony who picked her up hugging her tightly and she clung to him tightly "don't go daddy" she begged "oh ninja I wish I didn't have to but I have to ok, it is part of my job" he hugged her tightly as she clung to him.

Ziva watched them sadly before Tony looked at her and lifted Tali up sitting himself next to her on the sofa and opening his arms, she unquestioningly crawled into them and lay in his arms, rubbing Tali's back as Tony hugged them both. They lay there for a long while before Ziva quietly got up "I had better go make us some dinner" she said softly, she carefully put the food in the oven before heading back out, she paused when she heard them talking though.

"how long will you be gone for daddy" Tali asked, playing with Tony's watch "I don't know honey, at least a week" he said "that's seven days" he held up seven fingers and Tali touched each of them "that a long time" she said, Tony kissed her head "I know I don't want to be gone for that long but when I get back you will have to tell me all your fabulous stories yeah, so don't you forget them" "I won't" she said determinedly and Tony smiled at her. "you are going to be a good girl for mommy aren't you" he said "you do as your told and help her yeah" Tali nodded "I be a very good girl" she promised and Tony smiled again "that's my girl" he said softly kissing her forehead.

Ziva had to blink furiously to stop the tears from spilling out, Tony and Tali, they were so close, their father daughter bond was incredible, she didn't want them to be apart not for so long anyway, as she watched Tali leaned against Tony, tears trickling from her eyes. Tony hugged them both giving a small sigh.

They stayed like that for a long while before Tony looked down at his daughter, she was clinging to him tightly but she was fast asleep pressed against his chest. He looked at Ziva who stared at him, he shifted and then stood holding Tali tightly in his arms, Ziva rose after him and followed him into their room, where he lay Tali down in the middle of their bed, he changed slowly and she followed in suit and lay down on one said of Tali as he lay on the other side of her stroking her hair, Tony reached out and stroked her hair and she touched his cheek gazing into his eyes. Slowly she closed her eyes and felt his hand continue to run through her hair for a while before it stopped, his hand resting on her hip, her hand resting on his shoulder, together they fell asleep, clutching at each other, not wanting this moment to end, whilst they were all safe at home, together.

XOXO

Tony clutched Tali tightly as he stood in the airport, she had her arms wrapped round his neck so tight he could barely breathe but he didn't care, he savoured the moment, he closed his eyes and memorised the moment, the feel of his little girl in his arms, the scent of her long dark brown curls, they smelled of the strawberry shampoo she liked, the only shampoo she liked.

He opened his eyes to look at her and saw her bottom lip quivering "hey ninja" he said gently "don't be sad, I will be back before you know it, and anyway you and mommy are going to have so much fun without me that you won't want me back" he looked at Ziva standing a few feet away next to Gibbs who had his arm around her, he gave her the most convincing smile he could muster and she forced one back onto her face as she stepped towards him and he released Tali with one arm to wrap around her, he felt her hug him as she leaned against him and he kissed the top of her dark head "hey" he said gently, "it'll be ok Zee, I will be back soon, seven days at the longest, maybe sooner if we sort this case out quickly"

She looked up at him "I know" she mumbled "we will just miss you that is all" he smiled weakly at her "I'll miss you too Zee, every minute I will miss you" she sighed and looked up at Tali who was still clinging to her daddy as though determined not to let him go. At that moment it was announced over the intercom that the flight for Paraguay was now boarding and Tony let out a small groan hugging them both tightly before looking at Ziva who swallowed deeply and reached up to take Tali.

"Tali" she said gently "come on now tateleh it is time for daddy to go", Tali made a small noise of protest and clutched at Tony's shirt "no daddy" she mumbled "sorry ninja" he said miserably "I got to go". Carefully but unwillingly he pulled Tali away from him and handed her to Ziva, he leant down and kissed them both gently "I'll be back as soon as I can" he whispered "I promise" Ziva nodded bouncing Tali who looked like she was struggling not to cry "be safe" she whispered and he nodded before picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder and moving over to where McGee was waiting patiently, as they headed over to boarding he looked over his shoulder to where his family stood, Ziva was still hugging Tali but she was whispering something to her and Tali looked round and spotted him, then she raised her hand and waved gently, smiling slightly he raised his hand and waved back, blowing her a quick kiss before following McGee round the corner and out of sight.

XOXO

Tali continued to stare at the corner where she had last seen her daddy as though hoping he would come back and they could all go home, but Ziva knew he wasn't and she felt an ache in her chest knowing she wouldn't see him for a week, she felt Gibbs touch her on the shoulder gently "come on Ziver" he said softly "let's get Tali out of here ok" she nodded slowly and turned following him slowly out of the airport, she felt Tali twist in her arms looking over their shoulder desperately but she kept on walking until they arrived at their cars and Gibbs turned to look at her "you going to be ok Ziver" he asked gently and she nodded "I'll be fine" she said though in truth she didn't know what she was going to do now, she had never had to raise Tali alone for a whole week alone, she had always had Tony there to help.

Gibbs looked at her and he nodded "if you need anything" he said "give me a call no matter what time ok even if you just want to talk" she nodded "I will" she said softly "thank you Gibbs", he looked at her again "do you want me to come back with you" he asked, slowly she shook her head "no thanks" she said softly "I think Tali and I need to just get used to the apartment without Tony by ourselves" he nodded and kissed her forehead gently "see you tomorrow then Ziver" he said and moved over to his car.

Slowly Ziva unlocked their car and set Tali into her car seat strapping her in and offering her Bernie, her daughter slowly took her stuffed hippo and hugged it tightly staring straight ahead. Ziva swallowed uncertain of what to do now before she slipped into the driver's seat and started the engine and she began the journey from the airport back into DC.

Every now and then she looked in the back at Tali who was now staring out the window "tateleh" she eventually said and slowly Tali looked at her "you ok baby" she asked, Tali nodded "I want daddy though" she whispered her greenie gold eyes, replicas of her father's were sad "I know honey" she said softly "I want daddy too". When they arrived back at the apartment she lifted Tali carefully out of the car and took her hand leading her up to their floor and to the apartment, she carefully unlocked the door before she released Tali and ushered her into the apartment, Tali stood there looking around uncertainly before she looked up at her mother "you hungry sweetie" Ziva asked gently, Tali shook her head and looked around the apartment again.

Slowly Ziva crouched down in front of her child "hey" she said gently rubbing her shoulders "Tali daddy wouldn't want you to be sad would he" Tali looked at her "daddy would want you to be happy honey so don't be sad, daddy will be back soon ok" slowly Tali nodded "daddy want us to be happy" she asked and Ziva nodded and felt relief spread through her as a small smile slipped onto her daughter's face "ok ima" she mumbled and leaned forward against her, Ziva hugged her tightly before looking into her eyes and seeing that Tony hadn't completely gone, he was still here, in Tali, in their daughter.

"now" she said gently "why don't you go choose us a movie and I will make us some food and we will sit and watch the film yes" Tali nodded brightening slightly more at the prospect of a movie, as she scampered off to choose one Ziva smiled, God she was Tony's child, there was no doubting it. She allowed Tali to eat in front of the TV for once as a special treat before curling up next to her and cuddling her close as they watched Tony and Tali's favourite movie and whilst they were engrossed in _The Lion King, _everything was fine. Then the end credits began and once again she realised that there wasn't three of them on this sofa, there were only two and then she remembered the truth and she let out a long sigh before looking at the clock.

"time for bed Tali" she said standing up and looking at her daughter "come on lets go get your teeth brushed and your pyjamas on yes" Tali nodded and slowly wriggled off the sofa and headed into the bathroom, Ziva helped her squeeze a small amount of toothpaste onto her brush before going and fetching her daughter's pyjamas, when she came back she felt a smile slip onto her face as she looked at Tali standing there, her mouth covered in toothpaste.

"come here aheva" she said softly grabbing a face wipe and gently whipping the excess toothpaste away from her mouth before carefully slipping her out of her clothes and into her pyjamas and then lifting her up and placing her carefully into her bed, as Tali lay down she gently tugged the covers over her daughter and leant down to kiss her gently "layla tov" she whispered "night night ima" Tali whispered sleepily as she stood and headed towards the door switching on the night light as she did "ima" Tali called softly and she turned to look at her daughter who stared at her "daddy come back soon wont he" she asked, Ziva smiled "of course he will baby girl" she said "daddy will be home as soon as he can because he hates being away from you so don't worry" Tali smiled and nodded before she slowly lay down her head and closed her eyes letting out a small sigh.

Quietly Ziva closed the door and sighed leaning against it, running her hand through her hair before she slowly slipped back into the living room and looked around – no it was too quiet without Tony. She headed for the bedroom and changed into her nightwear before looking at the bed, how big and empty it looked without her husband, she shook her head and slowly crawled into it and rested her head against Tony's pillow breathing in his scent. She lay like that for a while before she heard a thump and she looked up as the door opened and a small figure rushed in and leapt onto the bed next to her curling up beside her, "sleep with ima while daddy away" her daughter mumbled sleepily.

Ziva felt a small smile slip onto her face "just tonight" she whispered brushing hair out of her daughter's face, she didn't think Tali heard her though, she had already fallen asleep. Ziva carefully pulled her daughter close before she too closed her eyes and eventually drifted off to sleep with her daughter wrapped in her arms.

**I know that wasn't the best chapter but I wanted to update, I am sorry it has been so long, I have been so busy it is unbelievable and I have the worst case of writers block ever :/**

**Please review and hopefully the next chapter will be up soon **

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks for the reviews, sorry about the delay, hope you like it.**

Chapter 18 –

Tony was silent and rather moody on the plane and McGee kept quiet too, not wanting to agitate him, he knew this week was going to be tough for Tony, being away from his daughter for the very first time, he knew that he would be hurting, so he decided to try and be lenient on him, and whilst he was silent on the plane everything was fine.

Then they touched down in Paraguay and he became surlier and surlier all the way to the hotel and when they entered the small room they had booked he threw his bag down on the bed and headed out onto the balcony leaving McGee dreading the next week of dodging round DiNozzo.

Tony leaned against the balcony wall looking over the streets of Paraguay, he knew it hadn't been long but it felt like it had been days already, this was going to be a long week. Slowly he moved into the room and over to his bag trying to get ready to sleep, slowly he unzipped the case and then he paused and McGee saw a smile slip onto his face as he reached in and pulled out a soft yellow stuffed dog, one of Tali's favourite toys, there was an note attached written in Ziva's curling script

_Tali told me to put this in your suitcase to 'keep you company whilst you were gone' we both miss you, come home soon and be safe. Love always – Ziva and Tali (your little ninja) xx_

Tony smiled and looked at the toy he was holding, he ran his fingers over the head playing gently with the ears as he sat down on his bed before he slowly lay down, then he noticed that around the dogs neck there was a gold chain, and hanging from the chain was a Star of David, he smiled brushing his finger across it and he felt the ache in his chest lessen slightly as he looked at the little precious objects his girls had given to him whilst he was away.

He looked at McGee and gave him a crooked grin "dibs on the bathroom" he proclaimed leaping up and grabbing his things running for the bathroom and shutting the door, McGee looked at the little toy he recognised very well sitting on the bed and smiled, of course that toy had to be the thing to perk Tony up, something to remember his cheeky daughter with whilst he was away, the effect had been pretty instantaneous, he had perked up and instantly battled him for the bathroom in such a Tony way.

And there were very few people who could make Tony go from a bad mood to a good mood, and one of them was very small, cheeky and shared his DNA, the other, well she was the love of his life and both were now the reason of his existence.

XOXO

Ziva woke up to the sound of her alarm and she sighed as she rolled over to slam her hand on it and once the ringing had stopped she sighed, she had forgotten to turn the alarm off, it usually woke her so she could go for a run but she couldn't whilst Tony was away because she had no one to care for Tali, she looked over at her daughter who had somehow slept through the piercing ringing and was still dreaming her fist clenching and unclenching as it had when she had been a baby.

Very carefully so as not to disturb her sleeping daughter she slid out of the bed and quietly got dressed before slipping out of the bedroom, she looked around the silent apartment and realised that it was too quiet without Tony who made a lot of noise, so without him, the silence was deafening.

She heard movement from behind and turned to see Tali coming stumbling out of the bedroom rubbing her eyes sleepily "morning aheva" she said gently "morning ima" she mumbled and looked around "daddy not back" she asked crestfallen as though hoping she had slept through the week, Ziva gave her a weak smile "no tateleh not yet my love" Tali sighed and Ziva held out her hand "come get some breakfast" she said gently.

As she watched Tali eat and helped her get ready she thought about Tony, he was probably still asleep knowing him, or already in position waiting for the suspect, she wished she could call him but she knew he was only allowed to contact them when it was safe.

She sighed and looked at Tali "come on tateleh" she said "I have to get to work and you have to get to day care yes" Tali nodded and picked up her small rucksack and took her mother's proffered hand and headed down to the car. Tali was quiet on the entire drive to day care, she sat there and was very slow to climb out of her seat and follow her mother into the building, Ziva helped her hang her bag and coat up before she kissed her daughter gently "I will pick you up at the end of the day ok" she said gently, Tali nodded "now go have fun ok" she said giving her daughter a little push before she headed out of the building and drove to work.

Stepping out of the elevator without Tony felt very strange, and to come into a quiet bullpen with only Gibbs there was even stranger, especially knowing that it would be like that for at least a week, Gibbs looked at her as she placed her bag down next to her desk "you ok" he asked gently and she nodded "missing him already" she said quietly "there is a very large void without him" he smiled at her "yes there is" he said "how is Tali" he asked.

Ziva shrugged "she seems ok, quiet and missing her daddy but that is to be expected isn't it" Gibbs nodded "she slept with me last night" Ziva said "she said she wanted to sleep with me whilst her daddy was gone, I think it was comforting for us both" Gibbs smiled and nodded "come on then" he said "back to work so we can get DiNozzo and McGee back" Ziva smiled and nodded.

XO

Two days past and Gibbs had spent them watching Tali and Ziva get quieter and quieter, Ziva hardly spoke unless it was work related or answering a question, when Tali arrived in the afternoon she clambered straight onto Tony's chair and sat in it determined, as if she was guarding it for when her daddy came back.

When Ziva left to pick up Tali Gibbs stared after her thinking, he knew it must be painful for her and he wanted to help out in any way he could, raising a child alone for the first time was a daunting task for anyone, even an Israeli ninja.

Determined to help her he headed up the stairs to see Vance.

XO

Tali seemed to have perked up a bit by the time Ziva picked her up, she chattered away about her day. She quietened a bit when they arrived in the bullpen and she saw that it was empty, she moved over to Tony's desk and hauled herself up into his seat looking around, "do you want to go see Abby tateleh" Ziva asked, Tali hesitated before she very slowly nodded and Ziva reached for her phone to call the scientist.

"no need" Abby sang as she appeared in the bullpen and scooped Tali up "hello little one, aren't you getting big, aw soon you will be too big for me to pick up" a small smile cracked onto Tali's face as she smiled at Abby and reached over to play with her pigtails, "come on Ziva" Abby said grabbing Ziva's hand and pulling her out of her desk "um Abby where are we going" Ziva asked uncertainly as Abby led her up the stairs "just come on" Abby said leading her to where Gibbs stood leaning against the rail, he nodded at Abby and ruffled Tali's hair before he motioned to Ziva and she uncertainly followed him into MTAC.

"Gibbs what is going on" she asked as he stopped in the middle of the floor "why are we here", he looked at her "because you are missing Tony" he said, she looked at him as he made a signal to the technicians "of course I am Gibbs" she said "he is my husband and I don't like it that Tali is missing him, I don't like how quiet she is without her daddy, I mean when the two of them are together yes it is annoying from time to time but right now it is unbearable, I miss the noise, I miss the banter, I miss him calling McGee names"

"**oh believe me Zee I haven't stopped doing that"**

Ziva whirled round in shock to see Tony on the big screen grinning at her from where he sat in a tiny hotel room with the laptop on his knee, at the sight of him she felt the ache in her chest lessen slightly "_Tony" _she breathed and smiled "_are you ok"_ he grinned back at her **"well apart from being stuck in a tiny smelly hotel room with McBoring I am great" **

McGee's voice sounded from just off screen **"****how do you think it is for me Tony, stuck in this room with you****" **Tony rolled his eyes before looking at her, his eyes gently and concerned **"hey Zee you ok" **he asked, she nodded slowly _"yeah I am ok, I really miss you though and so does Tali, a lot" _he smiled weakly at her **"I miss you both so much too Zee" **his smiled broadened slightly **"thanks for the toy and the necklace though, that helped a lot" **she grinned _"glad you like them, Tali saw me putting some things in your bag and just held out the dog and demanded that I put him in too" _

Tony smiled **"how's it going" **he asked **"Tali being good" **she nodded _"she is being good yes, but very quiet, she misses you very much and insisted on sleeping in our bed last night, said she wants to do it every night whilst you are away" _Tony smiled affectionately **"I really miss her" **he whispered **"I can't believe how much I miss her"**

Ziva looked over as Gibbs moved away from her and headed up the stairs, he opened the door to MTAC and stepped out, Ziva looked back at Tony _"it's hard without you" _she whispered **"Zee don't worry, everything will be fine, I am sure you are doing great and I will be home soon I promise, tomorrow we are being taken to a spot where our target appears regularly, hopefully we will catch him and be heading home" **Tony said and she felt comforted by his words.

She looked up as the door opened again and Gibbs appeared with Tali in his arms, the little girl had her hands over her eyes and as Gibbs moved towards Ziva, she asked "can I open them yet grandpa" "wait a minute" Gibbs told her as he stopped and he smiled at Ziva who grinned back, then he said softly "ok honey open your eyes and see your surprise"

Slowly Tali opened her eyes and looked around intrigued as she had never been allowed in MTAC before, then she saw Tony on the screen and a smile bigger then Ziva thought was possible slid onto her face "DADDY" she shrieked and wriggled in Gibbs' arms so he set her down and she ran forward a few steps staring in delight.

Tony smiled in happiness at the sight of his daughter **"hey little ninja" **he said softly **"how was day care today" **"it was good daddy" she said excitedly **"good are you being good for mommy" **he asked and she nodded "I being very good" she said proudly **"that's my girl" **Tony said.

Tali smiled and moved over to Ziva holding up her arms so that her mother could lift her up and set her on her hip, from her new higher vantage point Tali looked at her daddy "come home soon daddy" she said, Tony smiled **"yes I will be home as soon as I can baby girl, and I want lots of cuddles when I do" **Tali nodded staring at her daddy "love you daddy" she mumbled, Tony smiled **"I love you too ninja, be good and look after mommy yes" **he looked to the side and then his face fell before he looked back at the screen.

"**listen I gotta go and I don't know if we can talk tomorrow, but I will try if I can, I miss you both loads ok" **Tali and Ziva both nodded and Tali waved "bye daddy" she said quietly, Tony smiled and waved gently before looking at his wife "**love you Zee"** he said softly **"I'll be home soon"** Ziva smiled _"love you too Tony" _she whispered _"stay safe" _he nodded before the connection was lost.

Ziva stared at the screen for a little bit longer, she was relieved that they had finally spoken to Tony, relieved that she could see for herself that he was ok rather than just hearing the assurances from Vance, she looked over at Gibbs and he smiled at her and she smiled back before looking at Tali "did you like that tateleh" she asked softly "seeing daddy" Tali nodded, still staring at the screen as though hoping her daddy would appear on it again.

"come on Ziver" Gibbs said "lets get you home, you look exhausted" she nodded, she was tired, she always put Tali to bed in her own bed but Tali always insisted on coming into her bed at some point in the night, she was also worrying about Tony a lot and felt very stressed.

Gibbs drove her to their apartment and followed her up the stairs "sit" he said to her as she made her usual beeline for the kitchen as Tali shot towards her toys, Ziva looked at her boss "sit down and relax" he said firmly, "you look dead on your feet, I will sort out food for you and Tali" she smiled weakly at him before doing as she was told and lowering herself onto the sofa where she watched Tali play in the little wooden house Gibbs had made for her.

She looked up as Gibbs came in and sat opposite her, he looked at her for a few minutes before he said "Ziver do you want me to stay here till Tony gets back" she looked at him in confusion "when I spoke to Tony to arrange that little meeting he said he was worried about how you were coping, I told him you were doing brilliantly but he said he feels worried about you alone in the house" she smiled "sounds like Tony" she said "and I think I can take care of myself" "that's what I told him" he said.

He looked at her again "but I understand that it can be daunting, Shannon used to get her sister to stay when I was deployed even though she was perfectly capable of raising Kelly, which is why I am offering to stay here with you until Tony returns", Ziva smiled at him "that would be nice" she said "but we have no spare bed" he smiled "sofa will be perfect Ziver" she smiled "thank you Gibbs" she said softly moving over to hug him "no problem Ziver" he said hugging her back.

"grandpa stay" Tali asked and they both looked down at her standing there "yes tateleh grandpa Gibbs is staying till daddy gets back" Ziva said, Tali smiled at Gibbs who grinned at her before ruffling her hair again.

After they had eaten Gibbs went to pick up some things from his house taking Tali with him giving Ziva some peace and quiet, she had a long shower before giving the apartment a quick clean and a tidy whilst Tali wasn't there making a mess, when Gibbs returned with a bag in one hand and Tali clinging on to his back, her arms around his neck, he dropped his bag before lowering himself so that she could slide off and run to Ziva who smiled as she picked her up "ah I think it is time you went to sleep my love" she murmured carrying Tali into her room calling "make yourself at home Gibbs" over her shoulder, she changed Tali out of her clothes and carefully into her pink pyjamas, when she lifted Tali up again her daughter rested her head exhaustedly on her shoulder, she turned to see Gibbs watching with a smile.

"say night night to grandpa" she whispered and Tali mumbled "nigh gampa" waving tiredly before Ziva carefully lay her on the bed and pulled the covers over her, placing Bernie next to her before bending to kiss her forehead gently and then backing carefully out of the room.

Then she smiled at Gibbs who smiled back at her and held out a mug of coffee to her "Tony will be back soon Ziver" he said "and when he is you will be wishing he was still away", smiling she took the mug and followed him back into the living room, 'yes' she thought 'Tony will be back soon, but until then I will be fine, I have Gibbs to help me with Tali' she smiled to herself, she was lucky to have such a caring family.

**Hi sorry it took so long, was away visiting family and had no time to write**

**Hope you liked it **

**Please review – I promise I will try to update sooner.**

**Thanks**

**Mystic girl**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi sorry about how long it has been, had really bad writers block. Hope you like this.**

Chapter 19 – Reunion

The rest of the week passed slowly but it was easier for her now that Gibbs was helping her, Tali seemed better too but that didn't stop her asking first thing in the morning and last thing at night if her daddy was coming home soon, each time Ziva would tell her not much longer praying that it wouldn't be. They were not able to video call Tony again as a radio silence was placed over them for fear of compromising his mission.

She woke up that Saturday to hear giggling and she slowly got up and dressed herself to find Gibbs sitting with Tali on his knee tickling her stomach making her thrash excitedly and laugh every time, a large smile on her face. Gibbs looked over and smiled when he saw her "morning Ziver" he said softly, Tali looked over and slid off his knee to run over to her mother. "morning Gibbs" Ziva said with a smile bending to lift her daughter up into her arms "hello aheva" she whispered kissing the top of her daughter's head "what time did you wake grandpa up" Tali smiled sweetly at her, a picture of innocence.

Gibbs smiled "she didn't actually" he said "a phone call did" she looked at him and saw that his face was serious "it was from Vance" he said, she continued to stare at him before she set Tali down "go play in your room for a minute aheva" she said "mommy will be in to get you dressed soon" Tali wondered slowly off to her room and Ziva waited until the sounds of playing floated out before she moved over to the sofa and sat down next to Gibbs, "is it about Tony and McGee" she asked, Gibbs nodded "did something happen" she asked quietly struggling to keep the fear out, he nodded again before reaching out to take her hand and he squeezed it gently.

"Vance didn't know much" he said quietly "all he knew was that they went to catch the guy last night, they were all staking out his apartment, and apparently the guy didn't come home alone and when Tony, McGee and the police they were working with identified themselves our suspect and his friends open fired at them" Ziva let out a shaky breath "what happened" she asked desperately.

"two of the Paraguay police were killed instantly, another three wounded, I don't know about Tony and McGee, but I do know that they were both taken to hospital, whether as a precaution or not I have no idea" Gibbs said softly, Ziva ducked her head "do you want to hear the good news" Gibbs asked and her head snapped up to look at him and she saw that he was smiling "what" she asked "they got him" Gibbs said "and they are having more agents transported out to bring him back as we speak, and they are going to bring the agents assigned to the case back with them on the plane"

Ziva stared at him "so" she whispered "he is coming home today", Gibbs nodded "he is coming home today Ziver" he said with a smile, then he looked at his watch "if all goes to plan they will be landing in about 3 hours"

Ziva stared and then a small smile slipped onto her face and Gibbs smiled back at her, "now go get your daughter dressed" he said "are you going to tell her", Ziva thought "not yet" she said "just in case something happens" he nodded and still smiling she headed into Tali's room, she leaned against the doorframe smiling at Tali as she knelt on the floor playing with a little toy farm set, then she turned and smiled at her mother grinning toothily, Ziva smiled and pulled out an outfit for her and then she knelt next to her daughter "come on tateleh lets get you dressed" she said and Tali scrambled up and stumbled over to her, Ziva caught hold of her and kissed her forehead before she slipped her out of her pyjamas and into the jeans and the top "ima" Tali mumbled "yes aheva" Ziva said "daddy home soon" her daughter asked as she always did.

Ziva smiled "very soon tateleh" she said "very soon", Tali smiled and held up her arms allowing Ziva to lift her up and cuddle her tightly carrying her out to the kitchen, Gibbs smiled at her as she carried Tali into the kitchen to get her some breakfast, he followed her in and made them both a coffee, "I bet within 3 days you will wish he was gone again Ziver" he said softly, she looked up at him from where she was standing watching Tali, she smiled "you think it will take 3 days" she said with a grin and he laughed gently.

"Tali" Ziva said softly and Tali looked up at her mother with jam all around her mouth "do you want to go to the park aheva" Ziva asked, Tali nodded enthusiastically "you coming Gibbs" Ziva asked and Gibbs nodded "then we can go straight to the airport to pick him up" Ziva murmured and he nodded again, Ziva wiped the jam from Tali's mouth and fetched her coat before heading down with Gibbs to the car and then she lifted Tali into her seat strapping her in and driving off with Gibbs, Tali seemed to pick up her good mood and asked questions the entire way "why does it rain" she asked "because the clouds are sad" Ziva responded, "oh" Tali said frowning "why does it get dark", Ziva smiled "because the sun needs to sleep" "oh" Tali said again "why do people do nasty things" she asked then suddenly.

Her question threw Ziva, to hear it come out of her innocent little daughter, she glanced at Gibbs who looked at her questioningly wondering how she would answer, she looked in the back of the car where Tali sat waiting for her answer, her big greenie eyes wide and curious as she stared at her mother, Ziva thought carefully before she quietly responded "I think everyone would like to know the answer to that tateleh" Tali stared at her and Ziva waited for her to ask what she meant by that but then her little daughter simply nodded and returned to look out of the window. Ziva glanced at Gibbs who smiled at her and nodded approvingly at her answer and she smiled turning her attention back to the road. "mommy" Tali said "what park we going to" she smiled at her daughter in the mirror "we are going to a new one" she said "so you can play somewhere new" Tali instantly grinned "cool" she said and Ziva rolled her eyes 'cool' was a word Tali had picked up from Tony and used it an awful lot and rather proudly too.

She drove them to a park quite close to the airport before carefully lifting Tali out and allowing her to scamper towards the park, she and Gibbs walked slowly into the playground after her and sat on a bench watching her as she scrambled up the climbing frame eagerly. Ziva glanced at Gibbs as they sat there and saw he was watching Tali fondly, but there was the ever present sadness in his eyes, sadness that echoed the loss of his own precious little girl and the love of his life. "does Tali help the pain you feel" she asked quietly, and he glanced at her before nodding "yes" he said quietly "she does, I see her smile and it reminds me of Kelly's smile and I remember all the good memories I have of Kelly and I forget for a time that I lost her" Ziva smiled looking at Tali who slid down the slide before leaping up and running towards the sand pit falling eagerly into it to play.

"does Tali help you" Gibbs asked, Ziva smiled "yes" she said "she shows me that not every child had the childhood I had growing up, she shows me that there is innocence and happiness in a childhood, and she helps me feel more human" Gibbs smiled at her before they both sat in silence for a minute watching Tali play. "is this going to happen often" Ziva asked quietly and Gibbs looked at her questioningly "one of us having to go away to work, because I don't want to, I didn't like not knowing how Tony was and whether or not he was coming home, I didn't know how to tell Tali I had no idea when her daddy was coming home" Gibbs looked at her sadly "there will always be times when one of you will have to go away Ziver, just like you used to but we will make sure that you don't go away at the same time so that one of you is there for Tali at all times" she nodded and then looked up as Tali came running over giggling and practically fell into her lap, they both looked down at the sweet innocent little child grinning up at them and Ziva smiled at her little daughter running her fingers gently through her brown curls.

She looked at Gibbs then as his phone rang, he answered it, spoke briefly to whoever it was before nodding to Ziva "come on then tateleh" Ziva said standing and lifting Tali into her arms "where we going now" Tali asked "we have a little surprise for you" Ziva said as they walked back to the car, Tali who was no stranger to surprises and gifts instantly brightened "is it far away" she asked and Ziva smiled "not far aheva not far" she promised and she strapped Tali into her seat before climbing into the passenger seat when she found Gibbs in the drivers seat, when they parked at the airport Tali looked around confused wondering what sort of surprise could be here for her, but she didn't question it and she didn't recognise the building as they headed into a different part of it, looking for arrivals instead of departures.

They joined the many other people milling around waiting for their loved ones to arrive, Ziva watched couple after couple embrace and when she watched two little girls maybe three years older than Tali and a boy run at their daddy and nearly send him flying she smiled before looking at Tali who was looking around confused.

Just then a voice over the intercom announced the arrival of the flight from Paraguay and Tali looked at her mother "Para-gii" she said still struggling with the pronunciation "that where daddy is" Ziva nodded and smiled, just then the doors opened and she felt her stomach clench briefly in anticipation, Tali was staring at the doors too, searching the people, straining to see, Gibbs took her and set her on his shoulders where she could see everyone, Ziva looked around too searching for the one face out of hundreds that she wanted to see, then her eyes widened smiled as she spotted him at the same time Tali did and she heard Tali call out "daddy, daddy" and wave excitedly before she wriggled and slowly Gibbs lifted her from his shoulders and set her down as he got closer, Tali instantly rushed off and Ziva took off after her daughter feeling a genuine smile slip onto her face and the weight on her shoulders lift…

XOXO

Tony joined the throng of people all filing out into the arrivals lounge, he shouldered his bag ignoring the slight pain in his side, McGee was walking along next to him and he could tell that he wanted to just get a cab and get home as fast as possible. They entered the arrivals lounge but he didn't look around, he wasn't expecting anyone, he tried to ignore the excited shrieks of children as they saw their parent that they had missed, he wanted to see his own little girl, he located the exit and began to head towards him, not looking at the children around him, or listening to their excited cries of "daddy"

"daddy"

He shook his head, wow, that child had really sounded like Tali.

"daddy" he heard again and he looked over and his eyes widened in amazement as he spotted her sitting on Gibbs' shoulders her eyes wide as she grinned waving, he stared in amazement and saw Gibbs smiling at him as he held onto Tali's legs to stop her from falling as she waved excitedly, then he lifted her up and set her on the floor, instantly Tony was moving towards them searching for the sight of her again, "daddy" he heard someone squeal and he spun round dropping his bags and bending, he caught hold of his tiny daughter as she collided with him, he lifted her into his arms hugging her tightly, ignoring the pain in his side as he clung to her "Tali" he choked out in amazement hugging her tightly as she clung to him squeezing him so tightly he could barely breathe, he felt her bury her head into his shoulder still mumbling "daddy home" he sighed in delight "yeah little ninja daddy home" he hugged her tightly and then looked over to see Ziva moving towards him a huge smile on her face as she flung herself at him hugging him tightly "Tony" she whispered "you're safe" "hey Zee" he murmured hugging her tightly kissing the top of her head "yeah, I'm home", she breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against him as he hugged her tightly.

He looked over and saw Gibbs clapping McGee on the back as he approached before he looked back at Tony and smiled, Tony smiled back nodding his appreciation to his boss for caring for his two girls whilst he was gone, Gibbs nodded back at him before turning to McGee.

Tony felt Tali pull away and he looked at her as she stared at him, he felt joy spread through him as he stared at her, she was the same, she hadn't changed, she was still his little girl "hey little princess" he said "daddy" she said again staring at him in delight, he grinned back at her kissing her forehead, she rested her head affectionately on his shoulder and he felt her hand clench his shirt as though she was never letting go of him again, he looked down as he felt Ziva move and she slowly looked up at him, wonder was written across her face as she stared at him and he felt joy spread through him as he stared into her chocolate coloured eyes, the joy eradicated the pain in his side and he smiled at her "miss me" he asked teasingly, she nodded and blinked a couple of times "oh I am so glad you are safe" she breathed hugging him again, he smiled "course I am ok" he said "never better now"

She smiled and leaned against him for a minute before she looked over and smiled "hello McGee how was the trip" she asked, McGee smiled at her "got better once we caught the guy" he said "all I can say is I am happy to be home" Gibbs smiled "come on then you lot" he said "lets get you all home", Tony nodded and kept hold of both Tali and Ziva as he made his way out of the airport.

Gibbs drove them all home in Ziva's car, dropping McGee off at his apartment as they went, Ziva sat in the back next to Tony resting her head on his shoulder as they drove, he kept one arm around her and his other hand was being clutched tightly by Tali as she chattered away to him excitedly, determined to tell him everything that had happened whilst he had been away, he listened with a smile on his face as he watched her but he held onto Ziva tightly and protectively.

They all headed up to the apartment and Gibbs got his stuff together as Tali excitedly showed her daddy what she had been making at day care before settling down once she had finished out of breath, Tony followed Gibbs to the door as he made his exit "thanks boss" he said quietly "it really helped to know that you were looking after them whilst I was away" Gibbs smiled "it was a pleasure" he said "any time DiNozzo, you know that" Tony nodded "no get back in there with your girls" Gibbs said giving him a friendly shove "before little Tali thinks you have left again", at that moment from inside the apartment Tali called out "daddy" and they both laughed "see you Monday boss" Tony called as he closed the door and turned to find Tali standing watching him "yes princess" he said, Tali grinned and ran forward, grinning back Tony bent and caught hold of her, whirling her around in the air making her laugh loudly before he carried her back into the lounge where Ziva was watching with an affectionate smile on her face, "choose a movie on then little princess" Tony said setting his daughter down allowing her to rush over to the case of DVDs and crouch down to choose one, he helped her set it up before heading to the sofa as she rushed off to grab her toys, he sat down next to Ziva pulling her into his arms and hissing the side of her head "missed you" he murmured, she smiled and leaned against him "missed you too" she whispered "don't go away again" he smiled "will try not to" he promised.

Tali came rushing in then and launched herself at her father crashing into him "oof" he said teasingly as he lifted her up setting her in between himself and Ziva as he pressed play and the movie started up.

He looked down at Tali pressed in between him and Ziva snuggled up, Ziva was playing gently with her hair as she kept her head resting against his shoulders, her eyes were on the TV but she was smiling in a way that made Tony think she wasn't watching the film, Tali was watching the movie, giggling at the funny parts as she sat in between her parents, Tony watched her as she sucked at her thumb smiling happily, he was so glad he was back home with his family, he had missed them so much it was unbelievable.

When the end credits appeared he looked down, Tali had fallen asleep, he looked at Ziva who smiled at him as he slowly stood up and picked Tali up into his arms, she stirred and mumbled but didn't wake, he carried her carefully into her room and changed her into a pair of her pink pyjamas before slowly setting her in her bed, she mumbled again her hand moving across the mattress, Tony turned and saw Ziva standing in the doorway holding Bernie the hippo, he grinned and crouched down setting the toy next to his daughter who unconsciously reached out and hugged the toy tightly, he smiled fondly and stroked her hair out of her eyes before slowly he stood up and moved to the doorway closing it quietly behind him.

Then he looked at Ziva who smiled at him before she moved forward and kissed him slowly and passionately, he caught hold of her catching hold of a fistful of her hair, his other hand at her back as her hands landed on the back of his neck, they moved backwards into the bedroom and fell onto the bed, he pulled away to look at her and smiled "ah I have missed your beautiful face" he whispered, she smiled "and I have missed your childish charm" she whispered kissing him again, slowly she began to unbutton his shirt, then she paused and looked at him "I take it it wasn't that simple" she said, he looked down and saw the gauze on his side, he grinned sheepishly "yeah our guy open fired when we entered, I pushed McGee out of the way and got shot in the process"

She smiled at him "please make sure you don't return to us in a body bag one day Tony" she murmured "never" he whispered "simper fi Zee" she smiled and bent to kiss him again, he slowly slid her top off as she tugged his off, they quickly undressed kissing frantically as they did so, as their bodies moved together, their hands moving across the body they had missed so much during their week apart, making passionate love both of them thinking the same thing…

Oh how they had missed each other…

**Hope you liked it, please review and I promise I will try to update sooner. Sorry again about how long it has been**

**Please review**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi sorry for the delay – life just keeps getting in the way. Anyway enjoy**

Chapter 20

Tony woke up feeling very content and for the first time in a while, very relaxed, he slowly opened his eyes to see Ziva cuddled up against his chest and that made him smile, he kissed the top of her head gently and she mumbled in her sleep and snuggled closer to him instinctively, he smiled again, how she had changed over the years, especially since they had had Tali, she had gone from a protective, wary ninja who flinched away from physical contact to a kind loving mother whom he adored.

At that moment their bedroom door cracked open and looking up he saw Tali peeping round, the hippo Bernie ever present under her arm, she grinned when she saw him "daddy" she chimed, he smiled and put his fingers to his lips "shh princess mommy is still sleeping" she nodded and moved into the bedroom and carefully clambered onto the bed, Tony extended his arm and she instantly fell against him grinning up at him, he smiled back down at her and watched as she began to play with his wedding ring twisting it round his finger happily "daddy not go away again" she said looking up at him "daddy stay now" he smiled "daddy stay" he promised "daddy not go anywhere for a while" she grinned happily at him, Tony looked at Ziva who was still sleeping "shall we go make breakfast my little princess" she nodded eagerly and they both slipped carefully out of the bed and followed Tali out into the kitchen.

XOXO

Ziva woke up to find the bed empty and she frowned in confusion at the fact that the bed was empty, then she heard giggling from the kitchen and she slowly stood up pulling on her dressing gown before heading out where she found the kitchen in an utter state with pancake batter all over, not just the floor and the kitchen, but also over her husband who was trying to toss the pancakes in the pan and her daughter who was sitting on a stool laughing her head off.

Tony spotted her standing in the doorway then and instantly grinned sheepishly "hey Zee" he said, Tali twisted on her stool "ima daddy make pancakes" she said excitedly "but he no good at flipping" "mm tateleh I can see that" Ziva said moving forwards "why don't you just use a spatula" she asked Tony as she picked her way through the mess on the floor to kiss him, he grinned wrapping one arm around her waist pulling her in to kiss her firmly on the lips "because that is a lot less fun" he murmured when they broke apart, she smiled as he made to kiss her again "hey" she said "there is an innocent pair of eyes over there" he grinned at her and gave her another quick kiss before he released her and turned back to his attempts of cooking, Ziva turned to Tali who grinned happily at her hugging her toy hippo "happy now daddy is home aheva" she asked "yeah" Tali said excitedly and Tony grinned at her and Ziva smiled "Tony" she said and he turned looking at her expectantly, she winked at him "you are cleaning the mess up" she said and he pouted at her before he nodded turning back to his cooking with a smile

Ziva moved back into their room to dress and the smile remained on her face happy that things were back to normal, when she came out Tali was sat munching pancakes happily stabbing at the pieces with her plastic fork, Tony was sat opposite her smiling happily at her, when he saw Ziva he pushed a plate of pancakes towards her and Ziva smiled as she joined them.

"so what are we doing today" Tony asked, Ziva looked at him "I want to go out somewhere with my girls" he said "I missed you both so much" Ziva smiled and turned to Tali "where would you like to go aheva" she asked, Tali thought "I don't know" she said, Tony grinned "how about the zoo" he suggested, Tali's eyes lit up "yay the zoo" she squealed "see Simba and Nala and Timon and Pumba" she exclaimed referring to her favourite characters from her favourite movie "sounds about right" Tony said "what do you think Ziva" he turned to her and she smiled back at her husband "it has been a while since we last went to the zoo" she said and Tony grinned "zoo it is then my little princess" Tali beamed "finish your breakfast Tali" Ziva said and Tali instantly began to eat her pancakes at top speed.

Once she was finished she pushed the plate away and leapt towards her bedroom, Ziva stood reaching for the plates "I'll clear up" she said "you go get her ready" he nodded and stood up "make sure it is warm" Ziva said "it is very cold outside" he nodded again and headed into Tali's room heading over to her wardrobe and eyeing the assortment of clothes inside "hmm" he said "something warm that shouldn't be too hard", he pulled out a pair of little jeans and a warm long sleeved red top, he carefully helped her out of her pyjamas and into the clothes buttoning the little t-shirt up at the back "there" he said and she spun round to look at him "how I look" she asked, and he smiled at her "you look like my beautiful little princess" he said and she smiled happily at him, "go see mommy so she can do your hair" he said and she turned and ran out of the room whilst he located her warmest jumper, hat and gloves and headed out to the living room to find Tali standing in front of Ziva who sat on the sofa carefully brushing her daughters hair back pulling her long dark curls into a ponytail.

She looked up at him as he entered "you might want to go get dressed she said with a smile and he nodded dressing quickly in a pair of jeans and a warm jumper before slipping out to find Ziva kneeling on the floor in front of Tali helping her into her trainers tying her shoelaces, she then turned to look at Tony "ready" she asked "oh yeah" he said as they both slipped on their shoes and grabbed their coats and headed down to the car with their excitable daughter bouncing ahead of them

XO

The zoo wasn't that busy due to the cold weather so they had it mostly to themselves and a few other families with children running around. Ziva felt Tony snake his arm around her pulling her close and she leaned against him as they watched Tali standing palms pressed to the glass as she stared into the tank at the seals which swam past an awed look on her face as they swam close, she looked up at Tony who smiled at her and she continued to gaze at him in wonder delighted that he was home safe and sound.

He must have realised that because he bent towards her and kissed her forehead murmuring "I am not going anywhere any time soon Zee I promise", she smiled and leaned into the kiss "you had better keep that promise" she whispered "at least till Tali is older and understands better what is going on, it was hard to explain to her why we couldn't talk to you everyday and why you hadn't come home yet" he smiled at her before they both looked back as Tali leapt over "mommy daddy look seals" she giggled.

Tony grinned and picked her up placing her on his hip "yeah my ninja" he said moving over to the glass again and stood there with Tali waving at the seals until she was ready to move on "where my little ninja would you like to go next" he asked "Simba" she said excitedly, Tony smiled "the lions it is" he said and caught hold if Ziva's hand leading her towards the lions, making growling noises with Tali as he did so before he started humming _'In the Jungle' _as Tali giggled happily.

Tali loved the lions, and the tigers, and the elephants, in fact she loved it all, she adored the meerkats though especially when they kept coming up to the glass then running away into the burrows but the moment she made a little clicking sound half a dozen little heads would pop up making her laugh loudly.

Tony felt tired after travelling yesterday but he didn't care right now, he was happy watching Ziva crouching next to Tali smiling as their daughter pointed out the meerkats too her. He loved thinking that. _Their_ daughter, their little girl, their little ray of sunshine. He watched as Tali caught hold of her mothers hand and dragged her excitedly over to the zebras, Ziva carefully lifted her up so she could see over the fence one hand resting on her back to support her as she hung over the fence looking excitedly at the black and white animals grazing in their field, he couldn't resist pulling out his phone and taking a picture of his wife and daughter, Tali grinning happily, Ziva smiling, her long dark hair blowing in the wind.

Ziva turned to look at him and she smiled, he winked back and moved over to join them, leaning against the fence watching the animals graze until Tali wanted to move on, she staggered independently along on her own fairly confidently knowing they were behind her, trusting them to be there for her, Tony wrapped an arm around Ziva pulling her close as they followed Tali along "you know ever since we had Tali time just flies by" he commented "I mean she'll be three in a month" Ziva sighed "mmm I know" she said "it goes so fast it is hard to treasure each moment the way we should" "tell me about it" he murmured.

They stopped behind Tali as she scrambled onto a bench to peer into the monkey enclosure grinning as she spotted the primates, Ziva leaned against Tony and felt him press a kiss into her hair "at least we know how lucky we are" he murmured and she smiled "I don't think there is any way we could forget" she murmured back before bending as Tali leapt towards her lifting her up into her arms "shall we get some lunch aheva" she asked and Tali nodded eagerly and they headed to the cafeteria to buy some food where Tali played her usual game of asking 100 weird inventive questions as she ate.

"why lions yellow" she asked "because they lie in the sun" Tony said his eyes sparkling, he liked playing this game "why kan-roos carry babies in pouches" "so that they are safe" Tony responded eyeing her as though challenging her for a harder one and Tali didn't disappoint.

"where the babies come from" she asked. Tony froze and Ziva had to fight down a laugh at the shock on his face "err" he fumbled "tell you when you are older ninja" she pouted "now" she persisted "um" he said "er, they er…" "…come from their mommies tummys" Ziva said rescuing him much to his relief, Tali eyed her before turning back to her chicken nuggets "ok" she said pushing one into her mouth happily and that silenced her for a bit.

Tony looked at Ziva "she is way too young to be asking that" he hissed, Ziva shrugged "her teachers seem to think she is quite advanced, where she gets that from I have no idea" he pouted at her "esh I hope your answer satisfies her for a bit because I do not want a repeat" she sniggered "yes next time it is your turn" he gulped.

Once they had all finished they headed back out "where next princess" Tony asked, Tali looked around thinking before she shrugged "how about the polar bears" he asked and her eyes widened "bears" she breathed "yeah" he said "and penguins" her mouth dropped open into a perfect 'o', "next stop the Arctic" Tony said and Tali caught hold of his hand before reaching for Ziva's and she took it smiling and they headed off towards the polar bears.

XO

By the end of the day Tali was exhausted and Tony was carrying her, but she perked up enough as they passed the gift store to beg for a stuffed toy and Tony being Tony, the complete pushover when it came to his princess bought her a lion and a polar bear and delighted she hugged them both, one under each arm as she cuddled against his chest as Tony carried her out as the zoo began to close. Ziva caught up with them still slightly exasperated about how much Tali had her father wrapped round her little finger and spoiling her, as she fell into step with him on the way back to the car Tony wrapped his spare arm around her.

And for that moment walking along, Tony with one arm round Ziva, his wonderful wife, carrying his precious daughter, they all felt like a normal family, one who was oblivious to pain, hurt and death, a normal family who got to do this regularly, take their daughter to the zoo when in fact it was becoming a bit of a luxury. They weren't a normal family, Tony and Ziva knew that they weren't a normal family, he was a upper class boy who had lost most of his fortune but didn't care, she was from Israel, a country torn apart by grief and pain that she had managed to escape.

And they had found each other, in the world of pain they worked in, they had managed to find a love, so strong, so powerful, it cast all their differences out and drew them close together, gave them the courage to break the rules and make love, to confess their feelings to one another and start their little family.

They weren't a normal family by any stretch of the imagination, but did it matter? No, not in the slightest, all that mattered to them was that they were happy and content in their family.

**Apologies again for how long this took, but I hope you enjoyed their little outing, I know my updates are few and far between and I am really sorry, I am struggling for ideas so if you have any I would love to hear them, maybe if I get some I will be able to update soon**

**So please review**

**Thanks - mysticgirl**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi sorry for the delay, as usual life keeps getting in the way. Hope you like this chapter – I had intended for it to be in closer to Christmas due to its theme but with exams next week it has been hard to find time to write, only in the evenings. Well enjoy this family's Christmas and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and new year **

Chapter 21 – The Magic of Christmas

Tony was dreaming, dreaming of him and Ziva lying on a deserted beach, together, alone, surrounded by nothing but peace and quiet watching the sun set in the horizon, it was perfect. Ziva curled up against his chest with the last of the sun's heat beating down on them, he loved it.

Then suddenly through the quiet a faint voice was calling "mommy mommy daddy daddy", he sighed and ignored it. Then the voice came again louder now "daddy daddy", he grunted and turned away from the sound.

Then something small and solid hit him in the stomach and the peaceful beach vanished as he jerked awake with a yelp sitting bolt upright, beside him Ziva started awake and half sat up before realising what it was and groaned falling back down mumbling about _his_ daughter waking them up way to early.

"Daddy daddy" was still being chanted over and over again from his chest and he caught hold of the hyper little girl jiggling up and down on his chest before she slid off him, dislodged by his jerking awake. "Tali" he groaned "wake up daddy" she said with a giggle "it's Christmas", he looked over at the clock "it is also 7 am" he mumbled "so" she said her greenie gold eyes shining.

Tony sighed and fell back against the pillows closing his eyes "five more hours ninja" he moaned, but Tali didn't want to wait and she bounced excitedly on her perch on his stomach, he groaned again before opening his eyes to look at her.

Tali was now three and a half and turning into an excitable young child, excitable but adorable, everyone who met her fell in love with her, one smile had everyone smiling even the toughest of men, she had everyone at NCIS wrapped round her little finger, especially much to their amusement Gibbs, she adored him nearly as much as he adored her and he spoiled her rotten. She was still very small for her age but that just made her more adorable, her dark hair hung in thick curls framing her face making her eyes seem to shine even brighter. Those eyes that were staring at him beseechingly now, willing him to get up and he hated to admit it but it was working.

He groaned and closed his eyes "go play little ninja" he murmured "mommy and daddy are tired" "but it Christmas" she said "Santa came" "well the present isn't going anywhere" he muttered rolling onto his side taking her down with him so that she lay in between him and Ziva, he opened one eye to look at her and found her shifting around before she turned to Ziva "mommy" she called and Ziva groaned turning her head into the pillow "mommy wake up it's Christmas" "mm hm" Ziva mumbled not moving "so wake up" Tali said, Ziva sighed and rolled over onto her back before turning her head to look at Tali and then at Tony "well we are not going to get any more sleep" she mumbled and he sighed before sitting up "ok little ninja you win" he mumbled.

Tali's face brightened before she leapt up out of the bed and bolted out of the room, instantly Tony flopped back down sighing "where does she get all her energy" he moaned, Ziva smiled as she felt him pull her close against his chest "I don't know where she gets it but I do know that unless we get up that little ball of energy will be back in here before you know it" he groaned again and then the two of them pulled themselves up out of the bed and staggered over to the wardrobe to get dressed "what time do we have to be at Gibbs' house" Tony asked through a yawn "lunch is at 1300 hours" Ziva said with a smile, she looked at him "do you want to make coffee whilst I go dress Tali" he nodded and stumbled out into the living room to the kitchen nearly tripping over Tali as she came bouncing back over still singing "it's Christmas" "go with mommy and get dressed little ninja" he said with a smile at the light in her eyes, the excitement of Christmas that he remembered well from when he was her age.

Tali rushed off to her room after Ziva as tiredly Tony filled the kettle, Tali had really gotten into the Christmas spirit this year, being old enough to understand it properly now, it had been fun to prepare her for Christmas, to tell her how if she was good Santa would come and bring her a present, to describe how he went to every house with little children in it to give them a present, how he flew in a sleigh pulled by 8 reindeer and a special one with a bright red nose who guided it. It had been lovely to decorate the apartment, putting up a tree watching her decorate it and then having to redecorate it as she couldn't reach the top. She had enjoyed decorating that tree so much they had brought a synthetic one into the bullpen and allowed her to decorate that one there and then of course Abby had decorated her lab with Tali, the two of them had gotten so into the festive spirit it was hard to tell who was the child and who was the adult, especially when Abby was hyped up on Caff-Pow.

Their team had done lots for Tali trying to make Christmas special for her, every time they took Tali to visit Abby she had had a new Christmas movie for Tali to watch and new Christmas stories, McGee had found a website that enabled children to track Santa on Christmas eve much to Tali's delight and Gibbs had taken her and her parents to the mall to meet Santa, they had never seen Tali's eyes so wide with awe as she had got to sit on Santa's lap and whisper in his ear what she had wanted for Christmas from him, the smile on her face as she had come running back over to them had been infectious.

It had been a relief last night when they had finally persuaded Tali to go to bed telling her that Santa wouldn't come if she wasn't asleep, so they had let her leave some mince pies out for Santa (which Tony had enjoyed) and some carrots for 'Rudy and his friends', then she had crawled into bed mumbled 'night night' and fallen asleep almost instantly desperate for tomorrow to come sooner.

Then he and Ziva had brought all the presents out arranging them under the tree before they had curled up together on the sofa with some mulled wine and told each other of their favourite Christmas memories before they had stumbled off to bed to curl up together, not expecting their wake up call to be as early as it had been.

Tony shook his head and then looked at the Christmas tree under which presents were stacked all waiting to be opened "well" he muttered "we don't have all day", he looked over as he heard Tali's door open and smiled at the grin on her face as she came out in an adorable little red dress and sparkly tights "hey look at you my little princess" he said bending and she grinned as she ran forward and leapt into his arms trusting him to catch her, she laughed loudly as he raised her above his head and spun "no you're not a princess you're a little fairy" he said "my fairy princess" she giggled delightedly as he lowered her down "come on then" he said "lets go find out what Santa brought you"

Tali grinned and ran over to the tree picking up the box with a label on it reading _'To Tali, Merry Christmas. Love Santa'_

Tony grinned at Ziva as she came out of Tali's room and they both sat down on the sofa and watched as she excitedly opened the box and her eyes widened in amazement as she had carefully lifted out a little rabbit.

It wasn't a real rabbit, but after the day care had taken the children to a petting zoo, Tali had fallen in love with rabbits, she loved them and had been begging for one for a long time now but there wasn't enough room in the apartment for one at the moment and Tony and Ziva thought it best to maybe wait a couple of years until Tali was older and would be more ready for pets, at the moment she just liked anything cute and fluffy and just animals in general.

So when Ziva had been shopping and had spotted the little '_Furr real friend' _rabbit on the shelf she had instantly known that it was the perfect gift for Tali.

And she had been right they both thought as they watched Tali gently stroke the little rabbit before looking up in awe smiling "Thumper" she breathed, smiling Tony bent and turning it on and Tali set it down giggling as it began to hop forward before it paused, wrinkled its nose and hopped off again. Tali laughed and followed it, "good buy" Tony murmured wrapping one eye around Ziva who grinned "you had better make sure that thing never runs out of batteries" she said looking up at him "got two spare packs of batteries in the drawer" he said kissing her forehead, she smiled before turning back to look at Tali as she came back clutching the rabbit still trying to run "do you like him aheva" she asked and Tali nodded "he called Thumper" she said eagerly "like Bambi's friend" Ziva smiled nodding "good idea" she said "do you want to open some of your other presents" and Tali's eyes widened further if that was even possible as she nodded.

It was lovely to watch the smiles appearing on her face, and the frustrated looks on Tony's face when he had to put things together, such as a little pram for some dolls she had, a little scooter, a proper pink bike with stabilisers and streamers coming off the handlebars and a matching pink helmet. Luckily for him there were other presents that kept her entertained whilst he did that such as _My Little Ponies_, crayons and colouring books, sticker books, a little dressing table and many new DVDs.

Eventually Tony finished putting the bike together and looked at his watch "do you think we should get ready to go out" he asked and Ziva nodded and they headed into their bedroom to get changed, Ziva stood in front of the mirror and brushed her long hair back pinning it out the way before smiling as Tony appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her "nice dress" he murmured "reminds me of the one you wore undercover" she grinned and eyed the long green dress she was wearing "mmm so it does" she said grinning cheekily at him he pulled away before reaching into his pocket and he pulled out a chain which he carefully hung around her neck, she smiled as she reached up to touch the locket hanging round her neck on the front of which there was a Star of David, she slowly opened it to find a picture she recognised as one taken a few weeks ago by Gibbs of Tali and Tony with Tali on Tony's lap both of them smiling that innocent smile of 'we didn't do anything' when in reality she knew that few minutes later McGee had found his fingers glued to the keyboard again. She smiled touching the picture before she saw on the other side the words _'Love Always' _was inscribed, she stared at it before turning to kiss him softly "it is beautiful" she whispered pressing her lips to his "I love it Tony" he smiled kissing her back.

They stayed in each other's embrace until a small voice called up "when are we going to see Grandpa Gibbs and Uncle McGee and Auntie Abby mommy" Ziva smiled "in a minute aheva" she said reaching down to tuck a loose curl behind Tali's ear "can I bring Thumper" she asked, Ziva nodded "how about the bike" Tony suggested "maybe after lunch we can go out on it" she grinned again "yeah" she said excitedly "come on mommy, come on daddy lets go".

"alright go get Thumper" Tony said and she shot off allowing them to finish getting ready in peace before heading out and Tony took the bike and helmet down and loaded it into their car as Ziva helped Tali into her little boots "merry Christmas mommy" Tali said, Ziva looked up and smiled at her daughter before she opened her arms and Tali leaned forward into her hug, slowly Ziva closed her eyes savouring the moment "merry Christmas my Tali" she whispered back.

"hey you ready" Tony asked and she looked up to see him standing in the doorway, she nodded and lifted Tali off the sofa "yes" she said "let's go" Tali grabbed her new fairy wings and Thumper and rushed off down the hall as Ziva grabbed her long coat slipping into it as she stepped out and Tony locked the door and wrapped his arms around her as they headed towards the elevator where Tali was waiting happily singing '_Jingle Bells'_

XO

Gibbs looked up as his front door opened and he heard a call of "Grandpa" he smiled and headed out of the kitchen to find Tony and Ziva coming into the living room, Ziva with Tali in her arms smiling at him, "hello Ziver" he murmured moving over to kiss her forehead "merry Christmas" "merry Christmas Gibbs" she whispered, he grinned and clapped Tony on the shoulder before reaching out and taking Tali from Ziva "hello sweetpea merry Christmas", "merry Christmas Grandpa" the little girl said excitedly "Santa came" "did he" he said smiling at her excitement "what did he bring you"

Grinning she held up a little robot rabbit "he's called Thumper" she said happily, Gibbs smiled "well so you did get a rabbit" he said with a grin, she nodded "but he turns off so he isn't real" she said and he nodded "anyway Auntie Abby is in the kitchen go say hi to her sweetpea", he lowered her to the ground and watched her run off towards the kitchen still wearing her little fairy wings, they heard her cry "merry Christmas Auntie Abby" and then Abby cry "yay" and clap her hands "merry Christmas Tali ooo you got a rabbit and some wings, what else did you get honey"

Gibbs smiled at his other two agents before looking at them closely and seeing the exhaustion in their eyes and smiling again "let me guess, early wake up call", Tony let out a moan "yes" he moaned "7am, man she wasn't taking no for an answer, she kept bouncing on my stomach"

Gibbs chuckled "yeah it takes a while for them to grow out of that" he mused "urgh next year we lock our door from the inside" Tony mumbled and Ziva rolled her eyes "do you need help with dinner Gibbs" she asked heading for the kitchen "where is McGee"

"he is at his sister's house" Gibbs said following her "he'll be here in time for dinner" "Ducky and Palmer will be here soon" he and Ziva began to prepare the food as Tony moved around the house finding extra chairs and arranging them around the table and finding some pillows for Tali to sit on so that she was big enough. Abby began to set the table with Tali following her happily placing the cutlery down where she indicated until Ducky and Palmer arrived and she ran over to greet them excitedly until she heard McGee arrive and she ran outside followed by Tony to greet him, she too moved over to greet McGee giving him a hug and responding to his 'Merry Christmas'

Looking outside she spotted Tony crouching in front of Tali talking to her with a smile on his face and Tali was grinning at him before she hugged him tightly, he hugged her back before lifting her up and carrying her back into the house, Ziva looked at him questioningly as he passed, he just winked at her "daddy daughter thing" he said and carried her into the house, Ziva frowned before she closed the door and headed back in to help with the dinner bringing out all the bowls of food before she turned to her daughter "come on aheva let's wash your hands"

She took her daughter into the kitchen and helped her to reach the soap and the water before picking up the towel and crouching down in front of her to help her dry them. As she did so her gaze fell on a chain around Tali's neck and she reached out to lift it up and she found a beautiful little silver Star of David on the end of the chain, she stared at it in surprise before looking up at Tali "who gave that to you aheva" she asked softly "daddy" her daughter said smiling.

Ziva looked at her in surprise "daddy gave it to you" she said "yeah" Tali said happily "cus it like yours and it is a part of who I am, that what he said", Ziva smiled and her hand went to the locket Tony had given her with the Star of David inscribed on it "yes it is like mine isn't it tateleh", she ran her hand through Tali's curls sorting the slightly wild ones out before she straightened up "come on then" she said "time for dinner"

She followed Tali into the dining room where everyone was settling themselves down, she saw Tony watching Tali before he looked over at him and she move over wrapping her arms around him "I saw Tali's necklace" she said softly and he looked down at her smiling "I just thought she should know her bloodline so that she can know who she is and be like you" she kissed his cheek gently "I think it is lovely Tony thank you"

He grinned happily at her before he kissed her forehead gently "well when you two are done making out dinner is ready" Gibbs said as he passed them carrying the turkey, grinning at each other they followed him in to the dining room and settled themselves in their places as the meat was carved and passed down the table, Ziva helped Tali cut her slice into bite size pieces along with the rest of the food before they all bowed their heads for a minute before beginning to eat talking and laughing as they did so, Ducky told some marvellous Christmas stories to Tali and recounted his own experiences of this holiday period to them all, Tali excitedly told them of her toys as her rabbit hopped in circles behind her chair.

Ziva smiled at Tali, she hadn't celebrated Christmas when she was her age but she had celebrated Hanukkah which she now treated as her past Christmases, when she had arrived in America she had allowed herself to enjoy their festivals and although she still allowed herself to celebrate her cultural rituals she had pushed them to the side allowing American holidays to be her main celebrations especially after she had had Tali.

She had learnt all the stories and beliefs that encircled this holiday and had loved teaching them to Tali, she loved this time of family and cheer where everyone became friends and celebrated together, she loved the feeling of being family.

She looked over at Gibbs and caught his eye, he winked at her making her smile back at him, he was the father she had always wanted, she looked over at Tony who had worked so hard with her to make this special for Tali and it had really paid off, that was obvious from the sound of her laughter and the sight of the light in her eyes, everything was perfect.

Once everyone had finished they all cleared the table before Tony, McGee and Gibbs took Tali outside to teach her how to ride her new bike whilst Ziva and Abby washed up before heading outside to sit on the front step and watch Tali who was racing up and down the road roaring with laughter as Tony pushed her up and down with Gibbs and McGee stopping her at each end, eventually though Tony just gave her that starting push to exhausted to keep pushing her up and down the street and then just like that she was struggling along on her own wobbling away on the little bike held up by stabilisers laughing in delight.

Ziva watched her affectionately, she was growing up fast, 'too fast' she thought glumly, she didn't want Tali to grow up to fast, she wanted her to stay innocent for a long time yet but time always did go past too fast, all you had to do was remember to savour every second of the time you had.

Once Tali too had tired they took her inside where she opened everyone else's presents and she had been spoiled again, with lots of play doo which she loved, craft kits, dressing up outfits and much much more, delighted she ran to everyone giving them big kisses and hugs as she opened each gift and she played with each of them and Ziva helped her try each outfit on and she gave everyone else a little fashion parade of the outfits and costumes.

As she watched her sitting next to Tony who was trying to piece together a toy crossly telling him he wasn't doing it right Ziva felt Gibbs come sit next to her "well I think she had a good Christmas" he said looking at Tali, Ziva smiled "mm I think good is an understatement" she said looking at him "I think amazing is a better description" he chuckled "well she is at the right age to really enjoy it" he said "mmm I think Tony enjoyed it too" Ziva said looking at her husband who was now showing Tali the fun of popping bubble wrap, she smirked "wow hard to tell who is the child there" Gibbs said "well I do always say I have two children" Ziva said "nice Zee" Tony called making her laugh.

They stayed for the rest of the day playing with Tali before Ziva looked at the clock "well" she said "I think it is time we headed home" "aw" Tali said looking up at her disappointedly "hey some of us had a much earlier start than anticipated" Tony said to her ruffling her hair "and anyway you will see everyone again in a couple of days"

Tali sighed "ok" she said and stood up to say her goodbyes moving over to hug everyone and Ziva followed her round hugging everyone as Tony filled the car again with all Tali's new toys. "thank you for a lovely day" Ziva said softly to Gibbs as she hugged him "no problem Ziver" he said softly hugging her back "I'll see you back at work yes" she nodded before she bent and picked Tali and an armful of toys up "come on then my aheva" she said softly "lets get you home" she carried Tali out to the car and strapped her into her car seat as Tony said his goodbyes before coming out and sliding into the drivers seat, Ziva watched Tali wave as they pulled away before she looked at her "did you have a good day aheva" she asked and Tali nodded happily "it was fun spending day with all the family wasn't it" she said, Tali nodded again "all my family" she said excitedly spreading her arms making Ziva smile.

X

When they got home they settled Tali down with one of her new DVDs hoping that she would fall asleep to it after her exciting day and they could see her drooping off as she watched it.

Ziva looked at Tony before she held out a box making him look at her "you gave me this" she said "I am giving you that" "you know we both need to work on the no presents thing when we agree that" Tony mused as he slowly opened the box and his grin widened as he lifted the watch out "whoa" he said "James Bond watch" he grinned at her "that's awesome Zee" she smiled at him "I had it personalised for you" she said and he turned it over to find the words _'To Daddy, lots of love Ziva and Tali'_

He smiled before he pulled her into a hug "you are truly amazing you know that" he murmured into her hair as he kissed her, she smiled hugging him back leaning against his chest "thank you for a lovely Christmas" she whispered "no" he murmured "thank you"

They both looked over and smiled when they saw that Tali had fallen asleep sprawled across the sofa halfway through her movie, Ziva moved over and carefully took Thumper the rabbit from her setting it on the coffee table as Tony bent and gently gathered her up into his arms and carried her into her room with Ziva behind, Tali mumbled as she felt herself get set down on her bed and Ziva gently slipped her out of her dress and tights and picked up a pair of pyjamas for her slipping them on as Tali's eyes fluttered "movie wasn't over" she mumbled "you can finish it tomorrow aheva" Ziva whispered encouraging her to lie down as she pulled the duvet up over her "now you go to sleep honey yes" slowly Tali nodded and her hand moved across the mattress until it located Bernie the hippo and her hand closed around its leg before she slowly allowed her eyes to close and a few minutes later her breathing had slowed as she drifted off to sleep.

Slowly Ziva stood and backed out of the room closing the door softly behind her then she felt Tony's arms encircle her and she smiled leaning against him before she turned to look up at him "want your other Christmas present" she asked in a whisper, he frowned confused, before she pressed her lips to his her hand moving to the zipper of his jeans. "oh good" he murmured "something we can share" she smiled into his kiss as she felt his hands slide under her shirt caressing her skin before they began to unbutton her shirt, she smiled as her own fingers found the buttons of his shirt and she quickly exposed his warm chest, he grinned at her as he stroked her skin "ah I have missed this" he whispered his eyes combing over her, she lowered her head to kiss him again "well lets not wait any longer then" she whispered and his hands instantly tightened around her before he lifted her up carrying her towards the bedroom still locked in their kiss.

They fell onto the bed and she instantly rolled so that she was on top and he grinned at her as they worked on removing each other's clothes and he carefully pulled the long green dress over her head throwing it to one side as she removed his clothes.

Once they had been shed of their garments they felt the thrill of excitement and a rush of adrenaline, Ziva closed her eyes as she kissed him, as she slowly pressed herself closer to him, lowering herself to him as his hands descended from her waist.

Ziva dug her fingernails into the skin of his back as he kissed her passionately and she flung her head back with a gasp of delight as he worked on her body, her hands moved up to grip his neck and clutch a handful of his hair gasping in delight, she pressed herself up against him willing their two bodies to become one as she smiled at him staring into his eyes before she lowered her head and their lips locked as their bodies joined, she clung to his muscular body as his hands roamed across her slender back, she felt him pause and then he stroked her scars, kissing at the marks lovingly as she kissed his neck nipping at the skin gently as he did the same to her.

He caressed her fondly, holding her lovingly but gently as though she was made of glass because to him she was, she was so precious and valuable to him, and she clung to him gripping him tightly for he was her rock, the piece of sturdy ground she could always cling too.

He rolled and she found him on top and she grinned her hands clenching at the blankets as she flung her head back allowing him to kiss her exposed throat.

And so on that Christmas night, they found their own type of Christmas magic in a love they shared and bound them to each other and had helped them create their little dysfunctional family.

**Hope you liked it, I liked writing it :P**

**Please review – I hope I can update soon, once the exams are over hopefully I will have ample time to write**

**Also if you have any suggestions please don't hesitate to send them to me (I am thinking of a slightly darker couple of chapters for a change, nothing too serious – let me know if you think that would be interesting)**

**Anyway would love feedback**

**Thanks - Mysticgirl**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hi everyone thank you for the reviews – hope you like this one – as promised it is darker – a lot darker, so enjoy **

Chapter 22 – From happiness to pain

"DiNozzo" Gibbs barked and Tony looked up "yes boss" he said automatically "where's your wife" his boss asked narrowing his eyes at him as he strode into the bullpen "she went to get Tali" Tony said shifting under his boss' steely glare "You know your favourite godchild" to his relief Gibbs cracked a smile, "when is she going to be back" he asked, Tony looked at the clock "she should be back by now" he said "I'll give her a call, see what is taking so long, why do you want her anyway"

"I want her to talk with our suspect" Gibbs said "he still isn't speaking and I am hoping maybe a little female company might loosen his tongue" Tony smirked "and if that doesn't work she can break his fingers" he said, Gibbs gave him a disproving look "I'll call Ziva" Tony said hastily reaching for his phone and dialling Ziva's number.

For the past few weeks they had been going after a navy serial killer group who were targeting Petty Officers during Fleet week, two days ago they had identified the leader of the group as a former navy officer Alexander Weer, once they had found that out they had identified his right hand man Dillon Cross and had apprehended him, but he wasn't giving up any information and they were running out of time. Tomorrow a navy ship that had been out for nearly five months would be docking, letting off lots of petty officers making easy pickings for Weer and his companions.

Tony listened to the phone ring before it was picked up and answered by an excitable young voice which chimed "hi daddy" Tony smiled "hey my little princess what you up to" she giggled "we shopping" she said happily "really" he said "yeah" she said "food shopping"

"ah" Tony said with a smile "anyway is mommy there princess" he asked "yeah here you go" Tali said and he heard a rustle as the phone was passed over and then Ziva spoke "hey Tony, sorry we are running late, I remembered we are running out of milk and decided to stop and pick some up and pick a few other things up whilst I am here" "good idea" Tony said "but you might want to hurry back, Gibbs wants you to interrogate Dillon Cross"

She sighed "he still not talking" she asked "nope not a word" Tony said leaning back in his chair and placing his feet on the desk spinning a pen on his desk "not even to Gibbs" he continued "so the boss man wants you to try and use some of your feminine whiles on him" he heard her laugh softly "feminine ones or Mossad ones" she asked "well he said feminine but I think Mossad" Tony said and she laughed again "well I am just paying now so…Tali" she chided "no we are not buying that… we don't need that… anyway Tony we shouldn't be long… Tali don't stray come back here tateleh"

Tony grinned "she is getting way too curious now isn't she" "oh yes and she gets that trait from you" she said "I'll take that as a complement" Tony said with a grin before spotting Gibbs tapping his watch "anyway how long do you think you will be so I can tell Gibbs" he paused waiting for an answer but none came.

"Ziva" he questioned.

When she answered she sounded panicked and was speaking in a hushed voice "Tony Alexander Weer is here" "what" Tony said sitting up straight "yes I can see him he is in the shop" she gasped "Zee get out of there" Tony gasped leaping up and he saw Gibbs rise looking at him concerned along with McGee "get Tali out of there now Ziva" he added panicked "we are on our way now Zee" he rushed to the elevator with Gibbs and McGee on his heels, as they travelled down he hurriedly explained what was happening and the moment the doors opened they were all running to the car leaping in and switching the sirens on heading to the address Ziva quickly gave them in a hushed voice sounding frightened as she had Tali with her.

"Zee keep talking to me" Tony said frantically as she fell silent over the speaker, then he heard her gasp "Ziva" he said struggling to keep the fear out of his voice, she didn't respond, he just heard her whisper "please" and then there was a small chuckle before she suddenly screamed out "NO" and then came sounds Tony hated and made his blood run cold.

A single gunshot, the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, screams of surprise followed by more gunshots; the chatter of machine guns, glass smashing, more screams and cries as gunshots echoed, then everything went silent.

"Ziva" Tony shouted desperately "Ziva please talk to me please" he begged but there was no answer, just small gasps and a muffled whimper, then he heard footsteps and a man spoke in a smooth taunting manner.

"ring a ring a roses" he crooned "a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, they … all… fall… down" then there was a clatter as the phone was dropped and they heard him chuckle "hello sweetheart come on out" then there were footsteps again getting fainter as he moved away.

Then came a sound that made everyone freeze, eyes wide in horror.

The sound of a little girl crying, sobbing for her ima.

XO

Tony was out of the car before it had even stopped ignoring Gibbs who was shouting for him to stop as he rushed towards the store running in skidding on all the broken glass that covered the floor, gasping he skidded to a stop looking around with his gun raised.

"Ziva" he called out frantically "Tali" he looked round the wrecked store, bodies were littered everywhere and he gave them a quick look finding to his relief that none of them belonged to his family, yet he still struggled to hide his panic.

Gibbs and McGee came rushing in guns raised looking at the bodies, Gibbs jerked his head to McGee who went over to check for any survivors as he and Tony slowly began to move deeper into the wrecked store, moving down the isles swinging their guns up, left and right at the end of each isle.

Just when Tony was struggling not to let his panic show he heard a small sob and as he rounded the next corner he felt his heart stop as he was greeted by a scene that he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Tali we sitting on the floor in a pool of blood that was staining into her little jeans which were already soaked, she was covered in blood but Tony was relieved to see that most of it did not appear to be hers though there was some seeping from little cuts all over her from where she had been cut by the glass shards, it was all in her hair and all over her hands and she had rubbed it all over her face a when she had rubbed her eyes and now it was mixing with her tears that poured from her eyes.

Tony stared in horror at his little girl sensing Gibbs and McGee rush up behind him at the sound of the crying and then he heard them both swear as they caught sight of Tali who was staring up at them crying loudly seeming unable to recognise them through her tears.

Tony fell forward towards her falling down to his knees feeling the sticky blood soak through his jeans but he didn't care, he just reached out to Tali who jerked back with a terrified squeal hiding her eyes and her crying got louder, "Tali" he whispered "hey its me Tali", she peeked through her bloodstained fingers at him before she let out a loud wail and held up her arms to him sobbing "daddy", instantly he leaned forward pulling her through the blood towards him and gathering her up into his arms cradling her against his chest as she cried clinging to him as she buried her head into his shoulder.

"shh it's ok" he whispered in shock stroking her hair "it's ok princess daddy has you" but he knew that it would take a lot more thank those comforting words to cease her tears, he looked back at Gibbs in shock seeing the anger in his boss' eyes before he looked away looking around the area and at the pool of blood he had found his daughter in.

That was when he noticed the trail of blood that indicated that someone had been dragged away from that area. Swallowing hard he slowly rose to his feet keeping Tali's head pressed into his shoulder trying to shield her from seeing the crime scene as he stepped forward following the trail hearing Gibbs follow him telling McGee to call for an ambulance.

Slowly he followed the trail until it rounded a corner and he paused uncertainly before he inched forward another step and a hand came into view, a hand wearing to wedding rings he recognised very well.

He let out a gasp before he turned and thrust Tali into Gibbs' arms who caught hold of her as she began to cry even louder at being separated from her father, but Tony was already rushing round the corner gun raised before he skidded to a stop staring in horror.

Ziva was lying in a pool of her own blood which flowed freely from a bullet wound to her stomach, her eyes were half closed and she was barely moving save for her chest which was heaving as she struggled to breathe.

"Ziva" he cried falling to the ground beside her instantly yanking off his jacket and pressing it over the wound almost instantly feeling hot blood soak his fingers as he carefully propped her head up with his other hand trying to help her breath, "Ziva" he gasped again hearing Gibbs shouting at McGee to get the ambulance there now from where he stood trying to comfort Tali whilst trying to stop her from seeing her mother lying in a pool of her own blood.

"come on Ziva open your eyes" Tony begged and to his relief Ziva's eyes fluttered open and she managed to focus on him as he crouched over her "Tony" she gasped staring up at him "yes" he whispered "I'm here Zee, hang on please hang on help is on the way I promise", still gasping she shifted, her face taunt with pain "Tali" she gasped in fright "he had Tali"

"she's ok" Tony whispered "they didn't hurt her Zee, she is safe I swear, Gibbs has her, they didn't hurt her" but he knew that the psychological pain of this event might be worse than the physical pain for his young daughter, he looked over at Gibbs "where's the ambulance" he begged desperately just as McGee appeared again "it's on its way" he said and then he gasped in shock staring at Ziva lying bleeding out on the floor.

Gibbs looked at her too before he turned to McGee "get Tali out of here" he said sharply "don't you let her out of your sight you hear me" McGee nodded as his boss handed him the now screaming child, he caught hold of her and rushed out of the store causing her cries to fade.

Gibbs then moved over to the shelves and grabbed a sheet ripping it up before he moved over to Tony and replaced his sodden jacket with the rags pressing them over Ziva's stomach making her wince as colour blossomed over the sheet, he looked at his agent as she bit her lip trying to hide her pain as she gripped Tony's hand, he looked around before making his decision.

"Ziva" he said "we are going to have to move you ok" he looked at her as whimpered "it is going to hurt" she nodded slowly her face already drained of blood, "Tony" he said softly but his other agent was already moving into position and Ziva rested her head against him weakly her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation of the pain, "ok" Gibbs said "lift", slowly they straightened up, lifting her from the ground, as they did so her eyes flew open and her face lost any remaining colour and she couldn't hold back a cry of pain, hurriedly they carried her out before lying her on the pavement, resting her head on Tony's lap as he cradled her, his eyes shining with tears.

"Hold on" he whispered "don't leave me Ziva please don't go" she was staring up at him but he could feel her grip on his hand slackening "hold on dammit" he shouted "I love you Ziva, please I love you don't leave me"

Her breathing was getting faster and she was staring up at him panicked "Tony" she whispered "I … love you" he bent over her kissing her gently "then don't go" he begged "stay with us, don't leave Tali" she gave a small gasp "Tali" she whispered "yes hang on for her" Tony begged, he could hear the sirens approaching, he looked over to see Gibbs moving over to McGee who was struggling to hold onto Tali who had spotted her parents and wanted to get to them and was struggling desperately, he relieved McGee of the squirming child giving him a quick order before he turned his attention back to the bloodstained child speaking firmly yet gently to her as the ambulance arrived.

McGee hurriedly directed them over to where Tony was sitting hugging Ziva "help is here" he whispered "you're going to be ok Zee", he looked down though and felt his stomach clench as he saw her eyes closing and her grip on his hand slackened as she went limp.

"NO" he shouted "ZIVA NO" he shook her desperately "open your eyes" he begged "come on Ziva dammit don't leave us", he shouted out desperately to her and saw Gibbs look over and his eyes widen in pain at the same time the ambulance drew up and the paramedics instantly rushed over trying to push Tony away but he clung to Ziva, staring at her still begging her to open her eyes, he felt McGee take his shoulder but he shoved him backwards angrily, then he felt someone else take his shoulder much more firmly and saw that it was Gibbs standing over him looking down at him, his expression unreadable but in his arms resting her head on his shoulder still crying softly as she stared down at her father was his little daughter.

"DiNozzo" Gibbs said softly "let them save her", Tony looked back down at Ziva before he touched her cheek and kissed her forehead one last time before he slowly loosened his grip on her and allowed the paramedics to lift her up onto a gurney and rush her into the ambulance and carry her away sirens blaring.

Tony stared after her for a minute before he slowly looked up at Gibbs and rose to his feet staring at Tali who stared at him hiccupping past her tears, slowly Tony reached out and took her from Gibbs hugging her tightly against his chest as she clung to him sniffing miserably, slowly he sank back to the ground sitting on the kerb clutching Tali tightly.

People were moving all around him, forensic teams were arriving setting up police tape lines and pushing people back, he could see people all staring at him and Tali both of them covered in blood, he saw Ducky's van pull up and both he and Palmer jumped out running forward "Jethro" Ducky exclaimed "what on earth happened" then he caught sight of Tali "good lord" he gasped "what happened to her, where is Ziva and who did this"

"it was Alexander Weer Duck" Gibbs said "he killed seven people and severely wounded one" Ducky stared "Ziva" he managed to stammer, "on her way to the hospital" Gibbs said "she and Tali were the only survivors" "my word" Ducky said weakly "I guess I should go examine the bodies then" "no Duck" Gibbs said catching his arm "Palmer can do that, I want you to get Tali sorted out" Ducky looked at Tony and Tali before he bent down "hello little Tali" he murmured gently "can you tell me where it hurts sweetheart"

Tali peeped out at him through her matted hair before she held out one of her arms and they all saw the shards of glass sticking out of the little wounds "Jethro she should really go to the hospital" Ducky said looking worried "she is scared enough as it is" Gibbs said "patch her up now, take her clothes and the evidence you may need, it will be less scary for her if you do it than if some stranger did it at the hospital don't you think" Ducky nodded slowly "I'll do what I can" he said "as long as you promise to get her to the hospital as soon as possible" Gibbs nodded and looked down at Tony "DiNozzo go with her to the van" he said and after a pause Tony slowly stood up and numbly followed Ducky back to the van.

He climbed in and sat on a chair with Tali on his lap as Ducky moved around readying himself before he bent in front of them "Tony" he said and Tony looked at him blankly "can you just tell her I am getting the glass out and it might hurt but I need her to stay still" Tony slowly nodded before he looked down at Tali "hey princess" he said softly and slowly she looked up at him, her eyes frightened "Grandpa Ducky is going to make your arm better ok" he said "but it might hurt" she whimpered uncertainly "Tali we need to make your arm better princess" Tony said "I need you to be a really brave girl ok and hold really still whilst Ducky makes you better, can you do that for me princess"

Tali stared at him before she nodded still not speaking, "that's my girl" Tony whispered trying to sound positive in front of his three year old daughter when all he could see was his wife lying on the ground as her life drained out of her.

Ducky slowly moved forward and had Tony hold Tali's arm for him as he carefully began to tug the tiny shards of glass out of her arm, Tony could feel her flinching and she kept whimpering but he kept her arm still and rubbed her back reassuringly until all the glass was removed, then Ducky handed him some wipes "get the worst of the blood off her" he said softly "but I need them as evidence and her clothes" then he eyed Tony whose trousers were covered in blood along with his shirt from where he had clung to a blood soaked Tali "and er I am going to need yours too Anthony"

Tony slid off the chair and crouched in front of his daughter and gently began to wipe the blood off of her face, Tali stared at him miserably "where's mommy" she asked and Tony ducked his head unable to look at her, he heard the door to the van open and looked over to see Gibbs climbing in "I got you some clothes from the store" he said quietly "and some for Tali too", Tony nodded his thanks before he turned back to Tali and gently unzipped her coat and slipped her out of it followed by her shirt and jeans, she looked very vulnerable standing shivering in her vest and underwear and she was still covered in blood, Tony swallowed as he took the clothes Gibbs had brought her and helped her into them, they were a bit big but better than nothing, "go see Gibbs" he said softly as he began to unbutton his shirt to give to Ducky, usually Tali would have no problem running to see Gibbs but today she clung to her daddy until Gibbs called her softly over and scooped her up into a big hug obviously relieved she was ok.

Once Tony had changed he turned back to Gibbs "we have given all the evidence" he said "now I want to go see how Ziva is" Gibbs looked at him "Tony you wont be able to see her" he said "I don't care" Tony said "I just cant sit here and know nothing because right now my daughter is asking me where her mommy is and I don't know what to tell her and I swore I would never lie to her Gibbs so let me go see Ziva"

Gibbs looked at him long and hard before he nodded "I'll drive you" he said and stood up handing Tali back to Tony before stepping out of the van, he left McGee with some orders before he took Tony to the car and pulled out the car seat that now get left in the boot out of habit setting it up for Tali. The drive was silent at first, Tony sat with Tali in the back staring blankly ahead.

"daddy" Tali said eventually looking up at her dad "where mommy", Tony looked down at her biting his lip before he carefully responded "mommy has a poorly tummy princess so she is somewhere where they are going to try and make her better" "oh" Tali said looking at him "are we going to see her now" she asked, slowly Tony shook his head "no" he said "we are just going to see if there is any news as to how she is" "but I want to see her" Tali said her bottom lip quivering "I know princess" Tony whispered kissing her gently "I want to see her too but we cant not till she is better ok" Tali nodded miserably before she looked down blinking heavily. Tony looked away too not knowing what to say, and the drive progressed the rest of the way in silence.

**Haha I know horrible place to end – hehe if you want to find out what happened sooner then you know what to do :D**

**Please review**

**The more I get the faster I update**

**Thanks Mysticgirl**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey everyone thanks for all the great reviews, they inspired me to write this chapter, hope you like it.**

Chapter 23 – Pain of the Mind

Tony burst through the door of A & E and stormed straight over to the information desk and demanded to know how Ziva DiNozzo was ignoring the nurses who tried to calm him. Gibbs followed him in carrying Tali who had started to cry again because of all the tension she could sense.

At the sight of her covered in blood the nurses rushed over to try and take her from Gibbs who struggled to fend them off as Tali screamed loudly when anyone she didn't know came near, once he had managed to convince them that the blood was not all hers he marched over to the desk where Tony was still arguing with the nurses desperately.

"DiNozzo" he growled pushing him away before he pulled out his badge and slammed it on the counter "NCIS" he growled "you had better dammed tell us how she is or things are going to get messy"

"are you family" one of the nurses asked and he nodded "yes she is my daughter, that is her husband and this is her daughter who could probably do with some medical attention too don't you think"

The nurses looked at the crying child in his arms before looking back at Gibbs "your daughter is still in surgery" she said looking at her computer "but you can go through so that your granddaughter can get checked out, I will also have someone find you when your daughter is out of surgery"

Gibbs thanked her before he grabbed Tony's arm and dragged him through the doors heading to the area to which he had been directed so that Tali could get checked out, as they passed the operating theatres though he sensed Tony lag but he dragged him on "Tony they are doing everything they can for her, there is nothing you can do now so your main concern should be Tali ok"

Tony hesitated before he nodded and when they arrived at the ward to get her stitched up, he took her from Gibbs and carried her into the cubicle indicated to them by a doctor to wait for her turn, he sat on the bed setting her on his lap to wait whilst Gibbs sat in a chair nearby watching them both. Tali had fallen silent and was cuddled up against her daddy's chest clutching a fistful of his shirt, Tony was clinging to her too, he was still in shock, and Gibbs could see that he was terrified for Ziva and Gibbs couldn't blame him, he was scared too, Ziva had lost a lot of blood between getting shot and them finding her, he just hoped it hadn't been too much.

XO

Tali was halfway through being checked out by a friendly child doctor who managed to put a small smile on her face as she checked her out, she even let Tali listen to her heartbeat through the stethoscope which amazed her, as she was giggling as she listened to it a doctor entered looking tired and worn.

"Mr DiNozzo" he asked tentatively and Tony looked up at him worried and his grip on Tali tightened slightly "yes" he said uncertainly "I have come to inform you that your wife is out of surgery" the doctor said and a small flicker of relief spread across Tony's face before it disappeared again "is she going to be ok" he asked.

The doctor hesitated looking at Tali who was staring at him confused "perhaps we can talk away from your daughter" he suggested softly, Tony swallowed looking down at Tali uncertainly, "here" Gibbs said standing and moving towards them "I'll take her", slowly Tony nodded and looked down at Tali "hey princess" he said softly "daddy is going to talk to this man and grandpa is going to stay with you yes" Tali pouted but then slowly she nodded and Gibbs lifted her off of Tony's knee setting her on his own as Tony shakily stood up and followed the doctor out of the cubicle.

"grandpa" Tali whispered and Gibbs looked down at her "is daddy ok" she asked staring up at him with wide eyes, he forced a smile onto his face "daddy is fine" he said "he's just worried about mommy sweetpea" she blinked "mommy ok" she asked and he paused before slowly he nodded "she'll be fine sweetpea" he said softly "she'll be fine".

Once the doctors had finished with Tali he carried her out into the waiting room where he felt his stomach clench when he saw Tony sitting on the floor with his head in his hands, McGee and Abby were standing next to him looking very worried and Abby looked like she was about to burst into tears, Gibbs strode over looking at them worried "he was like this when we got here" McGee said softly "he hasn't spoken a word" Gibbs swallowed before looking at Tali who was staring at her daddy "hey sweetpea go see Abby" he said and held her out to the scientist who took her and carried her away as Gibbs bent next to his agent.

"Tony" he said softly reaching out to grip his shoulder and slowly Tony raised his head to look up at him "they … have high hopes she will make a full recovery" he whispered and Gibbs sighed in relief before he paused looking at the pain written across Tony's face "then why do you look so upset" he asked.

Tony stared at him before he dropped his head and whispered "she was pregnant"

Gibbs stared at him in surprise, Ziva had been pregnant, she had been going to have another little baby, then he realised the words he had used, "was" he checked softly and Tony nodded "she… miscarried when she was shot" he said softly before he looked up at Gibbs "we didn't think we would be able to have any more children after what happened to her in Somalia" he said miserably "and we could have had another, but those barstards took that away from us", he clenched his fists "I m going to kill him" he snarled with so much venom in his voice many people looked at him startled "I am going to kill him for what he did to my family"

"no you are not" Gibbs sad firmly and Tony looked up at him angrily "why not" he said "because I am meant to catch the bad guys not kill them, look at what he did to Ziva, look at what he did to Tali, god she is going to be traumatised Gibbs, he _shot_ her mother right in front of her dammit he deserves to die" "Tony if you kill him then you are going to hurt your family even more when you end up in prison, we are going to make him pay for what he did, but we are also going to make him suffer… in jail ok"

Tony didn't look very happy about it but he nodded and looked over at Tali sitting on Tali's knee, Gibbs followed his gaze before looking back at him "did you know she was pregnant" he asked, Tony shook his head "the doctors said she was 10 weeks, Christmas" he paused before continuing "she had been feeling funny recently and had thrown up a couple of times but neither of us realised" "maybe that is for the best" Gibbs said softly "that she didn't know", Tony nodded "yeah but now I do" he said "and that hurts", Gibbs gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before tugging him to his feet and leading him over to Tali watching as he scooped her out of Abby's arms and pulled her into a bone crushing hug, Gibbs looked at McGee "did you get anything" he asked and McGee nodded though he didn't look very happy.

"security video" he said and pulled a Tablet out of his bag handing to Gibbs and tapping the play button, Gibbs watched seeing Ziva clutching Tali's hand as she moved towards the exit, the camera was placed in the perfect place so that they saw everything, they saw her freeze as she obviously heard someone moving towards her and then she was bending pushing Tali under a rack of coats obviously begging her to stay put, then she straightened up as Alexander Weer came into view and she stood there staring at him the phone in her hand hanging limply by her side, they saw Weer raise the gun and her lips move as she obviously whispered please, they saw Weer grin before he looked at the coat rack and the gun moved towards it where they could just see Tali crouching, then Ziva obviously screamed "NO" and she stepped in front of the coat rack her arms raised as she defended her child just as he pulled the trigger.

Ziva staggered backwards as the bullet hit her before raising her own gun desperately letting off one bullet causing Weer to dive sideways before she fell to the ground and the phone fell out of her hand, then the windows of the shop exploded as bullets tore through it showering everyone in glass, even Tali crouched under the coats, they saw people crumple as they were hit before the bullets stopped and Weer stood again moving around finishing everyone off before he slowly moved back to where Ziva was lying and he grinned as he reached down tugging her gun out of her hand and removing her badge from her belt, then he reached for the phone still grinning at her as blood flowed freely across the floor, then he began to taunt them, singing the little nursery rhyme as he peered under the coats at Tali who was frozen in fear.

Then he dropped the phone and reached forward dragging Tali out from her hiding place, they saw Ziva shifting staring at Tali in horror as he threw her down next to her and Tali began to sob in fright crying out to her mother who had caught hold of her arm holding onto her desperately, Weer grinned and kicked the phone away before he bent grabbing hold of Ziva and although she struggled weakly he began to drag her away leaving a trail of blood, still sobbing Tali leapt up and scrambled after her mother, the camera switched to another one where Gibbs saw Weer drop Ziva back to the floor though he propped her up against a shelf where she slumped gasping, then Tali scrambled past him and Ziva managed to wrap her arms around her little daughter protectively as Tali cuddled up against her terrified.

Weer just sat there watching them for a minute before he began to speak to Ziva who responded angrily and then pleadingly clinging to Tali, then Weer looked over before he leaned forward and roughly yanked Tali out of Ziva's grip lifting her up ignoring her kicking and obvious screaming, Ziva was screaming too as he began to walk away and she flung herself forward trying to get up but she collapsed on her back gasping and sobbing in terror struggling to no avail to get to her daughter, then she obviously passed out as she stopped moving and lay still.

The camera changed back to the first one and they saw Weer carry Tali over to the pool of blood, grinning he lowered her down sitting her in it, instantly Tali leapt up trying to get back to her mother but he shoved her back down speaking sharply to her in a way that made her cower away but obviously did as she was told and stayed where she was though she cried loudly, they saw Weer take a picture of her sitting in the blood grinning happily before he suddenly left leaving Tali sitting in the pool of blood evidently to scared to move, a few seconds later they saw Tony run into the screen and freeze when he saw his daughter.

Gibbs lowered the Tablet growling "screw it" he muttered "if I ever catch him I am going to kill him" he looked at McGee who looked angry too "get in line" his agent muttered, Gibbs sighed, Weer had deliberately placed Tali in that pool of blood making sure that they would find her there, but why? Were they sending a message? Back off or next time it will be her blood she is sitting in?

Gibbs sighed and looked at the clock surprised to see how late it was "head home Tim" he said "drop Abby off on your way though would you, I am taking Tony and Tali home and I will spend the night with them" McGee nodded before he headed over to Abby and slowly the two of them headed out. Gibbs headed over to the desk and confirmed that there was no way they would be allowed to see Ziva that night before he headed over to Tony "come on" he said "I'll take you home"

"no" Tony said fiercely "I'm staying here" "Tony" Gibbs said "think about Tali", Tony looked down at his daughter and Gibbs could see how torn he was before he sighed and stood up carrying Tali out.

Once again the ride home was silent and when they entered the apartment Gibbs headed straight to the bathroom to run a warm bath for Tali, when it was ready he turned to find her standing in the doorway "daddy sad" she said "he looking at mommy's things" Gibbs sighed and reached out to her "come here sweetpea lets get you cleaned up", he helped her out of her clothes and placed her in the bath, "you play for a minute" he said before heading out to find Tony staring at a picture of Ziva and Tali "DiNozzo" he said sharply "snap out of it" and he gave him a good hard Gibbs slap over the back of his head making him start and look up at him "Tony I know how you must be feeling, I know how much you must be hurting but even Tali has now noticed that you are sad, you have to stay strong for her, do you hear me"

Tony stared at him "I don't know if I can" he whispered "it is so empty without her here" he looked towards the bathroom where they could hear Tali splashing, then his face turned panicked "I don't know what I will do without Ziva" "don't think like that" Gibbs said "this is Ziva we are talking about Tony, you aren't going to loose her you hear me" Tony stared at him and he could still see the panic and worry in his eyes.

At that moment a small voice called out "daddy I make bubbles come see", he looked towards the bathroom before managing to rearrange his features into a more enthusiastic one and headed towards the bathroom, Gibbs headed into Tali's room and located her pyjamas and carried them into the bathroom where he found Tony sitting with a flannel gently rubbing the blood off Tali's body as she talked keenly to him, slowly Gibbs moved in setting the pyjamas down "do you want me to wash her hair" he asked gently and Tony nodded gratefully so Gibbs gently began to wash the blood out of her matted hair managing to get all the tats out, by the time they had finished the water had turned pink but Tali looked like her normal self.

Tony carefully lifted her out of the bath tub still keeping the fake smile on his face "there you go princess all lovely and clean again" he said as he carefully dried her off before slipping her into her pyjamas and carrying her into her room where he settled her down in her bed under the covers before he read her one of her favourite stories and then encouraging her to lie down "night my little princess" he whispered kissing her gently as he tucked her up and then headed for the door, just as he placed his hand on the light switch she called out "daddy" and he turned to look at her "can we see mommy tomorrow" she asked, he hesitated before he nodded "hopefully" he said and switched the light off and closing the door halfway.

Gibbs was waiting in the living room for him "get some sleep DiNozzo" he said "tomorrow we will go see Ziva ok" he nodded "you going to crash here" he asked quietly and Gibbs nodded "I'll be fine on the couch" he said as he kicked off his shoes, Tony gave him a small smile and then paused as the haunted pained look returned to him, then slowly he moved towards the bedroom and slipped in.

Gibbs found a blanket off the back of the couch and lay across the sofa thinking about the events of that day, he was mad at what Weer had done, shooting Ziva had been cowardly, but it had gotten what he had wanted, he had placed Tali in that position to scare them all and it had worked, but it had also made them all mad, and now there was no way they were going to stop until they caught him and Gibbs had a feeling that they wouldn't be catching him alive, Tony was furious, Gibbs knew how much he and Ziva had wanted another child but despite them trying Ziva had never gotten pregnant again and they had slowly accepted that, it hadn't stopped them trying but they hadn't cared now whether or not it worked, if it did work they would count it as a bonus, but it never had. Until now.

Ziva had gotten pregnant after two years of trying, and then Weer had taken that baby from them, the bullet had damaged her womb he had learned, now the doctors seriously doubted that with all the repeated rape in Somalia and then this that she would ever get pregnant ever again. Gibbs hated what Weer had done, taking the possibility of having another child away from Tony and Ziva who deserved to have another, they loved Tali and they loved each other, and they would love another child, but at least they did have Tali.

But Weer had gone after her too, shooting her mother in front of her, pulling her out to watch her mother bleed out before tearing her away from her mother and forcing her to sit in a pool of her blood, it was going to scar Tali, that was inevitable, it would likely traumatise her if nothing else, Gibbs just hoped that the scar would fade over time and with help that they would all give.

At that moment he heard a small thump and looked over as Tali's bedroom door opened wider and he saw her go shooting out across the hall, reach up and open the door to her parent's room and slip in closing it behind her, he gave a small smile, she would need comfort tonight and so would Tony, and they would comfort each other and everything would get better.

X

Tony looked up from where he was resting with his head on Ziva's pillow as the door opened, he heard a small whisper of "daddy" as the door closed and then Tali appeared beside the bed "daddy" she whispered again "I want mommy", he sighed "I know princess" he whispered "but she as at the hospital having her stomach made better" "oh" Tali whispered, then she reached out and pulled herself up onto the bed next to him "can I sleep here with you daddy, I scared that man come back"

Tony instantly wrapped his arms around her pulling her close "yes" he said softly "you sleep here princess, I promise that nasty man wont ever hurt you again I swear" "what about mommy" Tali whispered "no he wont hurt her either" Tony whispered kissing the top of her head "no go to sleep princess, it has been a long day" "ok she mumbled "night night daddy I love you", Tony tightened his grip on her briefly "I love you too princess I love you too" he whispered, and he hugged her tightly until he drifted off to sleep, terrified that he might loose her too in this time of loss.

XO

When Tony woke up he automatically shifted and his hand slid across the mattress searching for the warmth of his wife so he could pull her into his arms, when he couldn't feel her he automatically sat up and the events of yesterday came flooding back to him, fighting not to let it crush him he looked around wondering where Tali was before noticing that the door was open, slowly he slipped out of bed and dressed himself trying not to focus too much on Ziva's things, there was so much of her in this room, he hated it, the clothes, the makeup and hairbrushes, the books on her bedside table, the jewellery, she was everywhere in this room and at the same time she was nowhere.

He headed out into the living room to find Tali sitting on Gibbs' lap watching some cartoons, she was still in her pyjamas and clutching Bernie the hippo with her thumb in her mouth which made him swallow, she only ever sucked her thumb when she was scared or nervous.

"hey princess" he said softly moving forward to crouch in front of her "you're up early honey" she gave him a small smile round her thumb before she opened her arms and leaned forward for a hug, whilst she was hugging him he looked at Gibbs "any news" he mouthed and Gibbs shook his head, Tony didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed, but he shook it aside to look at Tali again as she pulled away "have you had breakfast my little fairy" he asked and she nodded "grandpa made me toast" she mumbled, Tony nodded gratefully "well that's good" he said "do you want to go play honey" "no I want mommy" she said looking straight at him making him shift under her powerful gaze "later princess" he said softly and he straightened up heading towards the kitchen for some coffee, Gibbs followed and the two of them stood there drinking their drinks in silence.

"what do I tell her" Tony asked looking at Gibbs "what do I tell her about her mother" Gibbs looked at him "don't tell her anything unless she asks" he said "and if she does give her the sanitised version of the truth, tell her mommy has a poorly tummy" Tony sighed looking at his daughter still sitting staring at the TV.

At that moment Gibbs' phone rang and he answered it with the usual "Gibbs", he listened for a moment before he straightened up "yes she is my daughter" and instantly Tony looked up "yes" Gibbs continued "she is… thank you… no I will let him no…thank you" and he slowly ended the call looking away for a moment before he looked at Tony who was staring at him "what" he asked desperately.

Gibbs looked at him before he smiled "Ziver is awake" he said and Tony sighed in relief "is she ok" he asked, Gibbs nodded "well apart from giving the nurses hell trying to get up and demanding to see you and Tali she is fine" Tony smiled "oh and the doctors want to give Tali another check over before you take her into see Ziva" Tony nodded "great" he said "well lets go get ready" he said and moved over scooping Tali up saying "come on then princess lets get you dressed"

XO

Tali recognised the hospital and was immediately not keen on the idea of going in "come on" Tony coaxed standing in front of her "its ok princess nothing will hurt you in here, the doctors make you better" "no" she wailed pulling away, Tony sighed bending to catch hold of her "hey" he said gently "trust me Tali nothing will hurt you again I swear princess, and if you are really good we can go see mommy afterwards" Tali paused "mommy in there" she asked and he nodded "but you have to see the doctors first" he said, she paused obviously torn before she slowly nodded and held up her arms for him to scoop her up and carry her into the hospital.

Gibbs followed him to check Tali was ok before heading off to find out where Ziva was, when he was given her room number he headed over to it and paused outside before peering in.

Ziva was curled up on her side with her eyes closed, she looked pale and tired but her chest rose and fell smoothly and that to him made it ok, she was alive, that was all that mattered, he was just about to back away when her eyes opened and she stared at him for a moment before she smiled weakly and rolled onto her back "Gibbs" she whispered, slowly he entered the room "Ziver" he murmured bending to kiss her forehead "how are you feeling", she smiled weakly before saying "exhausted, worried, hurting, take your pick", he looked at her, "don't be worried Ziver everything is fine", she sighed "I don't remember all of it" she said softly "just flashes of it and then Tali… he had Tali and he was carrying her away, she looked up at him "what did he do to her" she asked desperately "please tell me you caught him"

Gibbs reached out to take her hand "Ziver he got away but don't worry most of NCIS is out looking for him now" he said "so now your main priority is getting better you understand DiNozzo" she smiled before nodding, then her face turned apprehensive "Tali" she whispered almost as if she were dreading the answer, he smiled comfortingly at her squeezing her hand.

At that moment they heard a small voice chattering away excitedly and Gibbs grinned "see for yourself" he said and they both turned to look at the door as Tony appeared carrying Tali who was chattering away happily to him quietly, clutching a little teddy bear she had obviously been given and of course Bernie.

Tony peered uncertainly into the room before his eyes fell on Ziva and a huge smile washed over his face as he gazed at her in relief, before he looked at Tali "hey princess" he said "who's that"

Tali looked into the room and an almost cheeky grin spread across her face as she stared at Ziva who had hauled herself into a sitting position staring at her husband and daughter in delight. "mommy" Tali breathed and instantly squirmed in Tony's arms until he set her down and she rushed over to the bed eagerly crying "mommy, mommy mommy", Gibbs very carefully caught hold of her "Tali" he said "mommy still has a poorly tummy so you have to be gentle ok" "Gibbs let me hug my daughter" Ziva said and Gibbs smiled as he set Tali on the bed and she crawled eagerly over to her mother.

"mommy" she said and Ziva leant forward pulling her daughter into her arms hugging her tightly "Oh my Tali" she whispered clinging to her and they saw a few tears of relief trickle down her cheeks as she cradled Tali close and Tali clung to her too before she pulled away staring at her mommy uncertainly "mommy look I got a teddy for being brave" she mumbled, Ziva smiled and her fingers traced across the bandage on Tali's arm and her eyes filled with pain before she pushed it away "that is nice aheva" she said softly, Tali looked at her "mummy tummy better" she asked, Ziva smiled stroking her cheek "yes my aheva my tummy is a bit better" "good" Tali said "I was scared when you got your tummy hurt and that nasty man was hurting you"

Ziva looked away blinking before she turned back to Tali and kissed the top of Tali's head "I am ok tateleh and you are ok and that is what is most important", she looked up and saw Tony staring at her in relief, she gave him a small smile and mouthed "hey", he smiled weakly back mumbling "hey" in return.

"hey Tali" Gibbs said "were you a brave girl for the doctors" Tali looked at him and nodded "well I think a brave girl deserves some ice cream" he said "do you want to come with me so mommy and daddy can talk, I will get you some ice cream and then you can come back yes", Tali looked up at her mommy obviously torn between ice cream and staying with her mommy, "go get ice cream Tali" Ziva said with a smile "I will still be here when you get back I promise"

Tali nodded "look after Bernie" she said and handed Ziva the stuffed hippo and leapt off of the bed grabbing Gibbs' hand and allowing him to lead her out of the room leaving Tony and Ziva alone together.

Ziva looked at Tony who was moving forward still staring at her in relief, she smiled at him "I am fine Tony" she whispered, slowl he moved forward and then he pulled her into his arms, Ziva instantly wrapped her arms around him cling to him as he clung to her, she heard him take a shaky breath before he pressed his lips to her forehead kissing her slowly "Oh Ziva" he whispered lowering his head to gaze into her eyes pressing his forehead to hers, he gazed at her "Oh Ziva" he whispered again.

Ziva gently reached up to touch his cheek before she kissed his lips gently, then she rested her head over his heart cuddling up against his chest as he sat next to her and for a few minutes they just clung to each other.

Then Ziva leaned back exhaustedly stroking her daughter's toy hippo gently before she looked at Tony "what is wrong Tony" she asked softly "I have been hurt before and I have never seen you like this", Tony looked at her "you wouldn't be leaving me with a daughter to raise alone any other time and you weren't my wife then" he said, she looked at him "Tony" she said softly "what aren't you telling me", he looked at her "nothing Zee" he said softly "I am just glad you are ok, god I was so worried"

She smiled at him before her face turned serious "what did he do to Tali" she asked "Tony I want to know what he did to her, why he took her away from me", Tony looked at her "Zee you shouldn't worry yourself" he said "Tony he shot my in front of my daughter" she said and he could hear the anger in her voice "then he dragged me away and when she followed he took her back, why Tony", he sighed "I don't know Zee probably to scare us because when I found her she was sitting in a pool of your blood, covered in blood crying her eyes out, she hasn't spoken about it much, she hasn't spoken much at all, just to say she is scared of the bad man"

Ziva let out a shaky breath "He sat her in a pool of my blood" she whispered, "that son of a bitch" "shh" Tony said cupping her cheek "Zee calm down you had a lot of surgery ok you need to stay in bed" "no" she hissed "I want to kill him" "yeah join the club" Tony said "we all do", she looked up at him her eyes wide "did he hurt her" she asked, he shook his head "physically no, the only damage was a few little cuts from the glass" he looked at her "mentally I don't know, this has got to have some impact on her right" she nodded and lowered her head to rest against his chest again.

Then Ziva sighed "and what about me, what damage did he do to me", to her surprise Tony instantly looked angry followed by sad before he managed to hide it all, "just a gunshot to the abdomen" he said "nothing went wrong in surgery", she frowned at him, she could tell something was bothering him "what about before the surgery" she asked "nope everything fine" Tony said quickly, a little too quickly.

She stared at him before she shifted leaning over, wincing slight but then she managed to grab her records from the end of her bed "no Ziva" Tony tried but she ignored him flipping it open, her eyes skimming the lines.

Tony watched her anxiously and he instantly knew when she found out because she froze and sat stock still, staring at the words written in her file, then slowly she closed it before she shoved it away and leaned heavily back against the pillows still staring at nothing, then she looked up at him and Tony saw that her eyes were filled with tears "I was pregnant" she whispered, slowly he nodded feeling his eyes water "and I lost the baby" she asked and again he nodded looking miserable.

She let out a sob "what did it mean by… womb badly torn by bullet, may not be able to conceive again", Tony let out a shaky breath "it means that with everything that happened to you in Somalia and then this shooting, they don't think… you will be able to carry a baby again"

Ziva stared at him, he knew how she was feeling, she was in the position he had been in after he had found out about her pregnancy, so many emotions running through her, then she leaned against him and all those emotions came flooding out as she began to cry.

Tony held her as she cried rocking her gently whispering to her, he felt tears trickle down his own cheeks as he stroked her hair whispering that it was going to be ok. Ziva cried for a long time and so did tony, though he cried quietly, not wanting to cause Ziva any further stress, he hid his tears from her as he cradled her, he cried for her, he cried for the child they had lost and for the children they may never be able to have now.

He heard movement at the door and saw Gibbs standing there with Tali, who still had traces of ice cream around her mouth, she was staring at them confused, Gibbs looked sad, Tony looked at Ziva before he looked at Tali and beckoned to her, Gibbs carefully lifted her up and placed her on the bed next to him "see mommy" he whispered and slowly Tali crawled round to her mother and wiggled herself into her arms "don't cry mommy" she whispered "be happy", Ziva seemed quite startled when Tali wriggled into her arms but she quickly got over it and fell back against the pillows hugging her little girl tightly, kissing the top of her head over and over again murmuring to her in Hebrew as the tears continued to pour down her face, Tali seemed to sense that something was wrong and just lay still cuddled up in her mother's arms, she looked over at her daddy from time to time but seemed happy to have a cuddle with her mother.

Tony sat next to them staring at them in misery before he stood and moved over to Gibbs "I swear to god" he hissed "if I _ever_ find him I am going to kill him for what he did to my family, for the pain he has caused us" Gibbs looked into his eyes burning with emotion and knew he meant it, then he looked back at Ziva and Tali picturing them yesterday, Ziva bleeding out and Tali in the pool of blood, and he felt rage boil up inside of him, before he placed his hand on Tony's shoulder and looked straight back at him before he nodded, and he knew that wherever Alexander Weer was, he had better watch out, because the entire force of NCIS was about to rain hell on him, and he and Tony would be right at the front, acting with extreme prejudice.

**Well hope you liked it: I know some of you wont like that Ziva was pregnant and lost the baby but I don't think anyone realises how common it can be or understand the pain that someone goes through after loosing a child, I want people to realise that.**

**Hope you liked it anyway**

**Next chapter might take slightly longer but hopefully not too long**

**Please review – the amazing amount of reviews inspired me to write faster so keep them coming please, they really make my day**

**Thanks **

**Mysticgirl**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hi everyone sorry this took so long, took me a while to write around college work and coursework and exams etc – anyway hope you like the first stage in their recovery.**

Chapter 24 - Lovebug

Ziva was released from the hospital two days later and told not to go back to work for at least another two weeks, Tony had requested a week off as well to help her recover and Vance and Gibbs had both willingly given it to him to try and keep him away from Alexander Weer for a little bit longer.

As Tony unlocked the front door and stepped back to allow Ziva pass he watched her, ever since she had learned about her miscarriage she had gotten extremely depressed, she hardly spoke and had spent her last days in the hospital just curled up on her side staring into space not wanting to do anything, hoping that it would help her the doctors had released her telling Tony to try and get her back into her normal routine, but watching her now, as she moved slowly over to the sofa and sat down still staring into space, Tony didn't think that it was going to be easy.

He looked over as Tali came bouncing back in from her bedroom, she was delighted that her mommy was home and whilst Ziva had spiralled down after the shooting, she had spiralled back up much to Tony's relief, she had gotten better, she had been very quiet for the first couple of days and had refused to sleep in her own bed, each night Tony had set her down but the moment she knew he was in bed she would run into his, each time she would whisper that she was afraid of the bad man, it hurt Tony to know that she was scared, she was only three, she shouldn't have to be scared about any bad men, but he would hold her tightly and she would drift off to sleep with him, and then every morning she would wake him up eager to go see mommy again.

The problem was though that Ziva didn't seem to be able to convey the same eagerness as her daughter, in fact whenever she saw Tali her face would cloud with pain first, before she managed to push it aside, she would force a smile onto her face before hugging her daughter but Tony could still see the pain on her face, she would listen to Tali chatter and answer her quietly but in her misery she never managed to portray that spark of a connection she always had with Tali, it was missing and he was worried about her.

"hey Tali" he said catching hold of her "you go choose a movie ok, mommy doesn't want to play princess, she's tired and her tummy still hurts, go choose a movie yeah", Tali looked at him before slowly she nodded and headed off towards the DVD cabinet, Tony moved over to look at Ziva sitting down next to her on the sofa, slowly she looked at him and forced a smile onto her face, gently he wrapped an arms around her "do you want to go lie down" he asked softly, slowly she shook her head "no I want to spend time with you and Tali" she mumbled, Tony smiled at her, feeling slightly relieved, she was trying, but she was obviously still very upset and it was hard for her to shake it off.

Tali came back clutching _Finding Nemo_, one of her new favourites, she loved the fish in it, especially the turtles and had recently taken to saying "Sweeet", she moved over and placed the disk in the machine before she leapt up and rushed back over to the sofa and hauled herself up in between her mommy and daddy, slowly Ziva wrapped her arms around her daughter and cuddled her close pressing her lips to the top of her head as she hugged her daughter, Tony carefully wrapped his arms around her holding her close, trying to reassure her that he was still there for her and that everything would be ok, whilst Tali watched her movie she was oblivious to her parents just trying to convey a sense of love and comfort to each other, Ziva rested her head on Tony's shoulder as they watched the movie, and he held her until the movie was over, then he look at her and saw that the dead look was returning to her eyes.

"Tali" he said "do you want to go to the park with Aunt Abby" Tali nodded a small smile creeping onto her face, Tony smiled at her "well go play in your room for a bit princess and daddy will give her a call" Tali nodded and slid off of the sofa and scampered to her room, Tony sighed as he reached for his phone "hey Abs" he said quietly when she picked up "can you do me a favour" "yeah sure" Abby said "can you come take Tali out for a couple of hours, take her to the park or something, I think we need a bit of quiet here" "of course" Abby said "I'll be over in ten minutes" "thanks Abs, I owe you like 10 Caff Pows" he said before he hung up and moved in to sort Tali out, finding her a jumper and some gloves and a hat so that by the time Abby arrived she was ready to go and seemed quite eager to go play with her favourite aunt.

Abby looked at Ziva who was now lying across the sofa "she ok" she asked softly, Tony looked up from where he was buttoning Tali's coat before he shook his head quietly and stood up "she's upset about the miscarriage" he said quietly "and I don't think having Tali here is helping much, she clings to her tightly and you can see the pain in her eyes when she does, I think she is upset that Tali will probably have to be an only child now"

Abby sighed and looked down at Tali "come on then cutie" she said "lets get you out so mommy and daddy can spend some time together" Tali giggled and lifted her arms so that Tony could scoop her up "aw you be a good girl for aunt Abby ok" he said "I always good daddy" she giggled "hmm that is what everyone says" he said grinning as he kissed her cheek before handing her to Abby and watching them disappear down the corridor, when they had disappeared from sight he sighed and closed the door before he turned back to Ziva.

She was lying on her back staring up at the ceiling a miserable look on her face, Tony sighed before looking at his watch and headed into the kitchen to fetch the medication she had to take, slowly he sat down next to her "hey Ziva" he whispered "you have to take your meds", she looked at him slowly "come on sweetheart" he whispered stroking her hair, she slowly managed to heave herself up and slowly took the tablets and the glass of water from him and weakly took the tablets, she took them quickly before looking around "where's Tali" she asked softly "with Abby" Tony said softly "I thought you looked like you could do with some rest"

She didn't respond at first then she looked up at him and then she leaned against him, carefully he wrapped his arms around her holding her tight against him feeling her shake as she fought off more tears "shh" he whispered "everything is going to be ok Ziva I promise" "Tony" she whispered and he felt her cling to him clenching a handful of his shirt "I'm here" he whispered "I'll never leave you Zee, I am always here for you" he clung to her tightly kissing her hair as she leaned against him.

They stayed there for a while until Tony looked down and saw that Ziva had closed her eyes, very carefully he stood up and carefully lifted her into his arms, she mumbled and her eyes fluttered open "shh its ok" he whispered "I've got you", she sighed and rested her head over his heart as he slowly carried her into the bedroom and lay her down on the bed, "get some rest" he whispered, she sighed but as he rose to leave she reached up and grabbed his arm "stay with me" she whispered and he nodded and sat next to her allowing her to rest her head on his chest and then she slowly closed her eyes and it wasn't long before she was fast asleep, Tony sat there with her for a minute gazing at her as she slept, gently he stroked her cheek "come back to us Ziva" he whispered "please come back to us"

Indeed he didn't feel like he had his Ziva back, this was just an empty shell of her former self, she wasn't his beautiful Israeli ninja chick who had him stumbling over himself with her flirts and little English mistakes, she was a silent broken scared women and he was desperate to help her get better, so she could love her child how she was meant to, and how she would want to.

He heard the sound of a key in the lock and then giggling and he quickly but carefully slid out from underneath her and covered her with the duvet before hurrying out of the room closing the door softly behind him and turning to find Tali rushing towards him "hey princess" he said bending to scoop her up "did you have fun at the park"

"it was raining so we went to grandpa's house instead" Tali said smiling at him, Tony looked up and saw that Gibbs was standing next to Abby by the door "hey boss" he said quietly "hey Tony" Gibbs responded, he looked over his shoulder "she ok" he asked, Tony shook his head before he lowered Tali down "go play little princess" he said softly and gave her a gentle push towards her room watching her scamper off, then he slowly moved into the kitchen to make some coffee as Abby and Gibbs followed him in, he turned to look at them.

"she is pining for the baby we lost" he said softly "she hardly moves and it is like she is constantly fighting to hold herself together, I hate seeing her like this but I don't know what I can do to make her better" he looked at his boss who moved forward and took his shoulder staring straight into his eyes "Tony" he said softly "listen to me, you can't fix her ok, all you can do is be there for her to catch her when she stumbles as you always have ok" Tony nodded "she needs time Tony" Gibbs said softly "loosing a baby is one of the hardest things any woman can go through, it is going to take her a while to get over this, you just have to show her that it is ok and that she is not alone, don't hide your pain, let her know that you share her pain, but give her space if she wants it and don't push her, just encourage her"

He paused and looked at his agent "and make sure she spends lots of time with Tali" he said "that little lovebug of yours is possibly one of the best cures for her, let her spend time with her daughter and it will help, at first yes it will hurt her but after a while it will cure her"

Tony looked at him before he nodded "thanks boss" he said "any time" Gibbs said with a smile "and any time you need us to do anything or have Tali for you don't hesitate to ask ok" Tony nodded with a grin.

"well" Gibbs said "we wont intrude on you any longer though I will pop in tomorrow evening to see if you need anything "thanks boss" Tony said with a smile and called Tali out to say goodbye to them before he scooped her up and smiled as she waved them down the hall before he closed the door and looked at her as she smiled innocently at him, he grinned and set her down "where's mommy gone" Tali asked as she caught hold of his hand and swung back and forth "she's sleeping" Tony said softly "Tali mommy isn't very well so you have to be gentle ok, because she is upset" he crouched down to look her straight in the eye "be very gentle ok honey" she looked at him solemnly before she nodded "good girl" he said with a smile and she smiled back at him, that adorable little innocent smile that still had him wondering how he had gotten so lucky as to have her for his daughter.

"play daddy" she asked hopefully and he looked at his watch "for a little while ninja" he said and followed her into her room, lying down next to her watching as she played smiling as she chattered away to herself moving her toys across the floor, she looked at him and handed him one of the toys and he grinned at her making the little plastic horse gallop up her arm and kiss her nose, that made her giggle so he did it again and again until she laughed falling back against him "no daddy" she giggled "but the pony loves you" he teased and she laughed again grabbing for the toy, grinning Tony handed it to her before he ticked her stomach making her give a small squeal and she began to laugh again wiggling in his arms squealing "daddy" over and over again, chuckling he released her and then laughed as she pounced playfully on top of him and he rolled over "oh no the ninja has me help" she giggled before she sat on his stomach grinning, he looked at his watch again "well I need to go make you some dinner munchkin" and he hoisted himself to his feet heading out.

He decided to make some pasta and quickly set about boiling the water and beginning to cook the pasta, it wasn't long before Tali wondered out and scrambled onto one of the kitchen chairs to watch him "daddy" she said solemnly "when is mommy going to be better" he paused turning to look at her "I don't know honey" he said softly "ok" she said slowly and leaned over the back of the chair to watch him.

Once it was cooked he placed it in her favourite plastic bowl and found her knife and fork placing it in front of her "there you go my ninja bon appetite" she giggled and reached eagerly for her fork as he filled her cup with juice and placed it next to her before he moved slowly over to the master bedroom and poked his head carefully round the door, Ziva was still sleeping curled up defensively on her side one hand resting over her stomach, he sighed before quietly shutting the door.

Once Tali had eaten he cleared away her plate before following her back into her room where he played with her until it was time to get ready for bed, he gave her a bath before settling her into bed in her cute little pyjamas and he read her stories until her eyelids were drooping, he gently kissed her before tucking her up under the covers, he sat with her until her grip on Bernie went slack and her breathing slowed. Once he was sure she was asleep he slipped out closing the door behind him, he turned and was surprise to find Ziva sitting on the edge of the couch staring into space "hey" he said softly "how you feeling" she shrugged "I don't know yet" she said softly "still upset and my stomach still hurts" he moved over to press his lips to the top of her hair "do you want something to eat" he asked and she shrugged again "I'll make you something" he decided and headed back into the kitchen.

Once it was ready he carried the plate of food back into the living room and set it in front of her "eat sweetheart" he whispered and slowly she reached for it, he watched her as she ate, her eyes were still dull and she still looked exhausted. Once she had slowly eaten he reached out and gently took her hand "Ziva talk to me please, I am here for you, but you won't let me be"

Slowly Ziva looked up at him "I am fine Tony, will feel better soon I promise" he sighed rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb gently, unsure of what to say next Tony slowly reached for the remote and turned the TV on flicking through the channels until he found something Ziva would like, then he settled back and waited, sure enough she slowly and hesitantly leaned against him and he gently wrapped his arms around her holding her tight, once the movie was over they both headed into the bedroom and Tony lay down propping himself up to look at his wife as she curled up, gently he pulled her close kissing her neck "let me in Zee" he whispered "please let me in"

Ziva didn't respond, she just lay there staring into the darkness until she heard Tony give a sigh and his body relaxed as he drifted off to sleep, then slowly she rolled over to look at him "I wish I could Tony" she whispered gently reaching out to run her fingers through his hair "I just... don't know how to" she cuddled herself up to him resting her head in the crook of his arm snuggling in breathing in his scent before she closed her eyes and she too drifted off into a troubled sleep.

XOXO

It was hours later when Tony woke up, at first he was confused to why he had awoken, then he heard the whimpering from beside him and he instantly sat up switching on the light, looking over he saw Ziva jerking and whimpering in her sleep, "no" she whimpered writhing uncomfortably "Tali hide, hide Tali" she jerked "please, NO" the last part came out in a small cry making Tony jump, instantly he reached out to her, "Ziva shh" he whispered "it's ok sweetheart shh" but she jerked away again whimpering, then she began to cry "Tali" she sobbed "please no I beg of you do not hurt her, no don't you touch her TALI"

"Ziva please wake up" Tony begged, he didn't want to hear any more and he didn't want her to be going through it all again, he shook her desperately until she jerked awake with a startled cry instantly pulling defensively away from him "shh Zee it's me" Tony soothed "shh it was just a bad dream ok, don't worry, everything is going to be ok"

Ziva stared at him breathing hard "Tali" she whispered frightened "she is fine Zee" Tony whispered reaching out for her, noticing how she still shied away slightly, gently he caught hold of her arm "Ziva it was just a bad dream I swear, Tali is fine, she is fast asleep in her room, nothing is going to hurt her ok". Ziva stared at him before her eyes filled with tears and she leaned forward and fell into his arms where she began to weep sobbing her heart out.

Tony cradled her tight, rocking her gently from side to side trying to reassure her, but still she wept, Tony felt tears trickle down hi own cheeks but he made no attempt to hide them any more, he allowed them to flow freely down his cheeks, as Ziva's slid down her own.

At that moment a small voice whispered "Ima"?. Tony looked over to see Tali standing in the doorway barefoot clutching Bernie, clad in her little purple pyjamas, looking confused "hey little ninja" he whispered softly "what's wrong princess", slowly Tali shuffled into the room "I had a bad dream" she whispered "I dreamed the bad man came back and I was scared" she leaned over the mattress her thumb sneaking into her mouth as she looked at him, then her gaze fell on her mother cradled in his arms "what's wrong with ima" she whispered.

Tony forced a small smile onto his face "mummy had a bad dream too princess" he said softly as he patted the edge of the bed and slowly she hauled herself onto the bed and crawled over to them, slowly she reached out and touched Ziva's arm "it ok mommy" she said softly "just a bad dream, daddy says bad dreams can't hurt us"  
>Slowly Ziva had lifted her head and looked at her daughter, then she reached out opening her arms and eagerly Tali had crawled into her embrace, Ziva had clung to her tightly cuddling her close "I know baby girl" she whispered "i know", she clung to Tali tightly as though afraid to let go leaning against Tony who stroked her hair gently before he gently pulled them both down so they lay against his chest, Ziva carefully placed Tali in between them where she was safe and hugged her whispering to herself that it was just a dream.<p>

Tony looked down at Tali who was looking up at him in confusion before he smiled "it's ok now Tali" he said gently "now you go back to sleep ok princess", slowly Tali nodded before she carefully burrowed herself closer to her mother clutching Bernie tightly and she closed her eyes. Tony looked at Ziva who was staring at her daughter sadly, "hey" he said softly and slowly she looked up at him "it was just a dream" he said gently "you and Tali are safe now ok, i promise, i won't let anything else hurt either of you ok", Ziva looked up at him before she nodded reaching out to touch his cheek "I know Tony" she whispered softly "I know", he smiled and whispered to her to try and go back to sleep feeling relieved when she closed her eyes, he however lay awake thinking, he was making big promises here, there was no way he could guarantee that nothing would ever hurt either of his girls, but that didn't mean he wouldn't protect them until his dying breath, but the world was a dangerous place and there was no way you could go through life unscathed.

XOXO

When Tony woke up the next morning, Tali was still cuddled up between them sleeping soundly clutching at her hippo tightly, Ziva was still sleeping too though she was twitching in her sleep jerking unsoundly, her grip round Tali though remained firm holding onto her terrified of her being taken away.

Slowly he sat up and swung his legs out of the bed sighing before he clambered up and headed into the other room, he set about making coffee before he leaned against the counter and his eyes fell on a photo resting next to him, slowly he reached out and picked it up, sighing as he traced his fingers over it. It showed them all grinning at the camera, their entire team, taken by some friendly passer by, they had all had the day off and had decided to take Tali to the park, she had loved it, playing with her family, eating a picnic, everyone had spoiled her rotten. Tony looked at the image of Ziva smiling at the camera cuddling Tali whose eyes were shining, he stared at them, they looked so happy like nothing in the world could destroy their happiness, he wished he could go back to that day, where everything was ok, and his wife wasn't struggling to hold herself together.

"Tony" 

He looked up as he heard his name and saw Ziva moving tiredly out of the bedroom "hey" he said softly "you ok now" she nodded "I just want to move on" she whispered "to forget everything that happened that day" he nodded "you will" he said "everything will get better" she nodded leaning against the sofa. 

At that moment Tali appeared Bernie under her arm rubbing her eyes tiredly "hey princess" Tony said "how you feeling" Tali nodded "tired" she mumbled "aw how about some breakfast then to wake you up" Tony asked and playfully pounced at her lifting her up and tickling her making her giggle and laugh, smiling he set her down watching her run into the kitchen to choose her breakfast and he turned back to Ziva, when he looked at her he could almost see regret in her eyes, like she was wishing she could do that, but she couldn't, not yet, she was still healing and she was still shying away from physical contact.

Once he had set Tali up with her breakfast he headed over to Ziva and gently wrapped his arms around her "I love you" he murmured in her ear, she shifted and turned to look at him "I love you too Tony" she whispered and leaned against him, he sighed thinking about what

Gibbs had said, he had to get her to spend time with Tali, but here in the apartment, all Ziva did was sit still staring into space, pining. He had to get her out, he looked out the window to see the sun shining and he gave a small smile, "hey princess" he said and Tali looked up "shall we go to the park" Tali's eyes brightened and she nodded eagerly, Tony grinned before he turned to Ziva "shall we leave after breakfast" he asked "we can take her to that big one that she likes"

Ziva looked very hesitant at the idea of leaving the apartment and for a moment Tony thought she was going to refuse to come, but then their little lovebug slipped off her chair and rushed at Ziva wrapping her arms around her legs "ima come" she said excitedly, then she looked at Tony, "mommy is coming isn't she daddy"

Tony looked at Ziva who stared at him and then at Tali before she forced a small smile onto her face and nodded "yay" Tali chimed jumping up and down and Tony grinned before he scooped her up "alright hyperactive little ninja let mommy and daddy eat our breakfast first hey", Tali nodded and danced off to put the TV on as Tony and Ziva headed into the kitchen to get themselves some food, Tony looked at Ziva picking at her breakfast as munched on his own food, she still looked uncertain and almost worried about her decision to accompany them to the park but Tony wasn't going to let her back down, he had made progress and he wasn't going to lose the footing he had gained.

Tali came back and it was obvious that she was very excited about the prospect of this family trip out as she kept bouncing around them as they ate so to try and give Ziva some peace to eat - which Tony feared she wasn't doing enough of - Tony scooped Tali up and carried her into her room to get her ready, even then as he helped her into her jeans and top she bounced and jiggled on the spot making Tony smile "take a chill pill my excitable little ninja" he chided, Tali stopped bouncing to frown "what does that mean" she asked confused, he grinned "it means calm down before you wear a hole in the carpet", she giggled at him as her eyes shone cheekily, still smiling he finished dressing her and gave her a little push that sent her scampering towards the living room and he followed her to find Ziva, dressed and ready, sitting on the sofa, as he watched Tali grabbed her hairbrush from the side and a couple of hair ties before she ran over to Ziva and stopped in front of her "mommy do my hair" he asked holding out the hairbrush.

Ziva hesitated before she slowly reached out and took the brush, instantly Tali turned round and slowly almost hesitantly Ziva reached out again and began to run the brush through her daughter's dark mess of hair, brushing it until it hung in silky shiny curls down her back, then she took the bands that Tali held out to her and pulled the front part of her hair back tying it in a small ponytail so that the rest hung down her back. One she was done Tali reached up to feel it before she turned to grin at her mother "thank you mommy" she chimed "daddy can't do my hair"

"hey" Tony complained from where he was standing "I try don't I, and I can't do it because that is mommy's special thing right little ninja" Tali grinned "yeah mommy does it good" she said, Ziva gave a small smile and reached out to stroke Tali's cheek.

"come on then" Tony said "lets get this show on the road", slowly Ziva pulled herself to her feet and followed Tony and Tali to the door and down to the car. Ziva slid into the passenger seat as Tony lifted Tali into her car seat carefully strapping her in. "there are we safe and secure" he asked "yep" Tali said with a small giggle "good" he said "lets go then", he moved round and slid into the drivers seat glancing at Ziva as he did so, even that short journey from the apartment to the car seemed to have exhausted her because she had rested her head back breathing heavily, "you ok" he asked gently and she nodded quickly, Tony swallowed wondering if he had made the right decision taking her out of the apartment, but he wanted her to get better, to reconnect with Tali, because even though she interacted with Tali, there was till no connection and he would be worried for as long as it was that it was missing.

XO 

The park was fairly empty when they arrived, Tony watched as Ziva slid slowly out looking around uncertainly before she took a couple of deep breaths of the fresh air, Tony quickly got out after her and lifted Tali out "remember" he murmured to her as he shut the door locking the car after him and he carried her towards the park after Ziva "you have to be gentle with ima ok" Tali nodded wiping hair out of her face as she looked around excitedly.

Tony carried his daughter into the play area watching Ziva settle herself on a bench to watch as he set Tali down and allowed her to drag him off towards the climbing frame, he assisted her up and along, holding her hands as she staggered over the nets giggling excitedly before he took her down the slide which made her shriek in excitement and laugh loudly, as he pulled himself upright Tony glanced over at Ziva and saw to his relief that she was watching them with a big smile on her face, grinning, hoping this was progress he allowed Tali to lead him over to the merry-go round.

Ziva watched Tony chasing Tali around the park for a good hour, watching him laughing as he followed her, she sighed and shifted before she winced placing one hand over her stomach, she wished she could join in and play with Tali, but every time she tried, that hole in her chest got bigger, to know that she would only get to do this once, it hurt so bad, she wanted to enjoy it, but right now, her pain was unbearable, she knew she was depressed, but she didn't know if she was ready to get over it yet, to just completely forget that she could have had another gorgeous child with the man she loved.

She watched Tony pushing Tali on the swings listening to her chatter away, asking her usual 20 questions no doubt, she hoped Tali wouldn't ask where babies came from again, well not for a few more years at least, Tony wouldn't be able to cope if she did.

Slowly she stood up and moved over to the swings, Tali grinned when she saw her approaching "hi mommy" she said excitedly "look daddy making me go high", to prove her point she spread her arms wide laughing delightedly, Ziva smiled gently "yes I see aheva" she said softly "daddy had better be careful" Tony grinned at her as he gave Tali another push "don't worry daddy is being careful" he promised before he slowed Tali to a stop "do you fancy getting lunch" he asked "we could go to Denny's"

"yeah Denny's" Tali chimed excitedly, she loved Denny's, if she could eat there every day it still wouldn't be enough, Ziva smiled and nodded and Tony lifted Tali out of the swing watching as she ran straight over to Ziva where she paused before she gently slipped her hand into Ziva's, Ziva hesitated too before she tightened her hand around Tali's tiny little one and grinning happily Tali reached for Tony's hand and they headed off to the car again.

At Denny's Tali developed a rare bout of shyness when the waitress began to coo over her and for the first time she didn't chatter away, she cuddled close to Ziva staring at the waitress shyly "believe me she isn't usually this quiet" Tony joked, the waitress smiled at Tali before she headed off to get their food.

Once she had gone Tali instantly perked up "what this" she asked reaching for the salt shaker "that has salt in" Tony said "to put on your food" "oh" she said "why", Tony looked at Ziva and rolled his eyes, she smiled at him before she looked down at Tali reaching out to play gently with the end of her hair.

When the waitress reappeared the shyness came with her and Tali went quiet until she was presented with some crayons and a colouring book and she managed to pluck up the courage to say "thank you" to the waitress and she instantly began to colour.

Tony looked at Ziva before he reached across the table to take her hand "how's it going" he asked, Ziva glanced over at Tali before she looked back at him "I don't know" she whispered "I feel so different, I don't like it but there is nothing I can do about it" "Ziva" Tony whispered "I hurt too"

Slowly she looked at him and saw that his eyes were truthful and solemn "I hurt too" he repeated "I lost that baby as well Ziva and I know it must hurt because you were carrying it but I need you to understand that I am feeling the same pain as you are, so please don't block me out, I know how you are hurting you don't need to block me out please Ziva"

She looked up at him "I know" she whispered "but I have always dealt with my pain on my own, I do not know how to share my pain, nor do I want too Tony, I don't want to have you share my pain" "Ziva" Tony whispered his grip on her hand tightening briefly "I already am so don't block me out please, we are here for you, we want to be here for you" they both looked at Tali happily colouring away, slowly Ziva looked at Tony again who smiled gently at her before he slid round in their booth so that he was sitting right next to her and wrapped an arm around her "thank you" Ziva whispered softly as she leaned against him feeling him stroke her hair "no problem" he murmured "I know you must hurt but don't hurt alone ok" she nodded.

Their food arrived and Ziva nibbled at hers slowly watching Tony chattering to Tali who was giggling, her eyes shining delightedly as Tony spun stories for her.

They headed home after that and Ziva sat resting like she was meant to be on the sofa watching Tony playing with Tali and her toys smiling when Tali kept telling her daddy that he wasn't playing correctly and at Tony's bemused face wondering how he should play with a three year olds toys.

Tali didn't need that much for dinner as she had a big lunch so after a small tea Tony ran a bath for her and Ziva followed her in sitting on the edge of the toilet watching as Tony lifted her in to the bath "there you go little mermaid" he said then he glanced at Ziva "I'll go get her room ready" he said and slipped out leaving Ziva with her daughter.

Slowly Ziva slipped off of the toilet to kneel next to the bath as Tali wriggled around in the water splashing happily before she looked at her mother and sat up reaching for shampoo "mommy wash my hair" she asked, hesitantly Ziva reached out and took the bottle squeezing a tiny bit onto her hand before she reached over and gently massaged the soap into her daughter's scalp, as she did so she gently began to hum as she did when she washed her daughter's hair, humming a Jewish lullaby, she saw Tali smile before she joined in humming with her mommy.

When Ziva had finished washing her hair Tali pulled the plug out and rose unsteadily to her feet lifting her arms to Ziva who rose after her pausing thinking before she carefully lifted Tali out of the tub and set her on a mat crouching to wrap a fluffy towel around her at the same time Tony appeared with her pyjamas, he gave Ziva an odd look "you are not meant to be doing any heavy lifting" he said and she smiled exhaustedly "she isn't that heavy Tony and she just wanted out of the tub" he grinned and handed her Tali's pyjamas watching as she helped her in and helped her brush her teeth.

"come on then tateleh" Ziva said softy "time for bed", "mommy's turn to put me to bed" Tali said excitedly grabbing Ziva's hand and dragging her towards her bedroom, Ziva followed watching her climb into her little bed sitting up and staring at her mother "story mommy" she exclaimed excitedly, Tony watched and felt the warmth in his chest grow as he watched Ziva nod, the smile on her face growing as she settled next to Tali wrapping her arm around her as she read her the story, Tali staring at the book an awed look on her face as she listened to the story that her mother depicted in her gentle enthralling voice.

Once Ziva had finished she closed the book and bent her head to kiss Tali "layla tov tateleh" she said softly "Lay…la…tov" Tali managed sleepily as she rested her head down and Ziva gently tugged the covers over her, she placed the book back in its place on the shelf before she straightened and looked at her daughter long and hard before she smiled and slipped out of the room.

Tony backed out of the way as she slipped out closing the door after her, then he was surprised as she almost hurled herself into his arms. He caught hold of her holding her tightly "hey" he whispered "you ok" she nodded into his chest "I just feel scared" she whispered "I have always thought the life we have at NCIS would remain separate from our home life with Tali, then the two of them collided and Tali was in so much danger and I was terrified for her" she paused taking a deep breath before she looked up at him "now I an terrified for her, I don't want her to ever be in that position again Tony, I am terrified she might get hurt again"

Tony instantly cupped her cheek "Zee" he said firmly "Tali is never going to get hurt by Weer again, the whole of NCIS is looking for him after what he did, everyone is mad about what he did to you and Tali, he isn't going to get away with this, we will hunt him and he wont be able to run forever I swear"

She nodded again resting her head over his heart, "come on" he said "you had a busy day, let's get you to bed". Slowly she followed him into their room changing into their nightwear before lying down, she cuddled up against him suddenly nervous she might dream again.

That was when their bedroom door cracked open and they saw a small figure rush in and leap onto Ziva's side of the bed "sleep with mommy till she better" Tali whispered, Tony watched as Ziva smiled wrapping her arms around her daughter and he couldn't help bet smile as he watched the interaction he had been hoping for all day slowly heal his wife of her fear, their little lovebug brought the smile back onto her face and the light began to glimmer in her eyes.

But the light wouldn't truly return until she had closure, until Alexander Weer was either dead or suffering for what he had done to her and Tali, and he was going to get her that closure no matter how long it took he would get it for her.

But right now slowly but surely she was coming back to him, all thanks to their little lovebug.

**Hope you liked it, please let me know what you think – I loved all the reviews last time and would love more this time**

**Thanks so much for reading**

**Mysticgirl**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hi thanks for the reviews – sorry this took so long, hope you like it :D**

Chapter 25

Two months passed and in that month things began to slowly get back to normal, Ziva stayed off work for three weeks recovering, attending the physical therapy as required much to her disgust, she hated having to go but had to admit that it helped, and it allowed her to exercise and get out of the apartment, slowly her strength returned to normal and as soon as she was cleared for duty she wanted to go back to NCIS but Vance told her to finish her time much to her disgust.

She was still quieter than normal but she hid it better now and began to interact with Tali as she had before, playing with her and spending time with her with a smile on her face, ,which put one on Tali's little face, she was delighted that her mommy was coming back to her and spending time with her. But she didn't see all of Ziva, just what Ziva allowed her to see, Tony saw all of her, he saw how much pain she was still in and heard her tears at night as she sobbed quietly when she thought no one could hear her.

Despite agreeing to physical therapy Ziva had stoutly refused to see any other therapists after her shooting despite much coaxing from Tony and Gibbs. Tony guessed it would take orders and threats from Vance to get her to talk to a stranger about what happened to her and Tali in that store and how she had lost her baby. She hardly ever spoke of it, but is anyone mentioned babies or something reminded her of it they all saw her eyes fill with tears before she regained control of herself.

When she had come back to work she tried to act like nothing had ever happened and she did a good job of it, she worked hard, teased Tony and McGee and made mistakes with her English. However they all saw how much more protective she was of Tali, whenever she went to pick her daughter up she never stopped on the way, she always brought Tali straight back to the bullpen where they all knew she was safe, where Weer couldn't hurt her.

Ziva had been back at work nearly 3 weeks before they heard anything about Alexander Weer, since the shooting he had gone underground, yet marines still died, his crew worked whilst he his and despite Gibbs, Tony and McGee all hunting in their spare time, trying to hide it from Ziva they hadn't found anything, they were all getting frustrated wanting to find him and give Ziva the closure she needed to return to them fully.

So that Thursday afternoon found them all sitting in the bullpen writing up their reports from a case they had just closed when McGee's computer beeped loudly, McGee looked up almost absently from his report before he froze and his eyes widened "er boss" he all but stammered and Gibbs looked up slowly "what McGee" he asked almost impatiently, slowly McGee pressed a few buttons before everything appeared up on the big screen.

It was a map showing DC including the Navy yard and nearby there was a blue diamond with a number written next to it, "um Alexander Weer just turned his cell phone on" McGee said slowly looking from face to face.

"what is he going" Gibbs asked sharply moving round from behind his desk eyes on the screen "sending a message" McGee said typing hurriedly "oh now he's calling someone um hang on I'll see if I can hack into the video feed of that area" and he began to type furiously.

Tony glanced over at Ziva as she moved out from behind her desk, she leaned against it keeping very still with her eyes wide, breathing deeply in and out with one hand resting over her stomach, slowly Tony moved over and wrapped an arm around her comfortingly, she looked up at him and gave a weak smile before she patted his hand where it rested on her shoulder before she gripped it carefully as the video feed came up.

They soon spotted Weer standing watching people walking around passing him not knowing how dangerous he was, then he smiled and they saw a group of people moving towards him. "it's his crew" McGee said "that must mean…" "…they are planning another killing" Gibbs finished "let's go… not you Ziver" he said as Ziva moved towards her things, she looked up at him "stay here" he said, she glared at him "Gibbs I am fine, I want to help catch this man"

"Ziva" Gibbs said going over to cup her cheek "he shot you in the stomach" "and sat my daughter in a pool of my blood" she hissed "I want to help catch him so he can pay for what he did to Tali". Gibbs looked at Ziva as she glared defiantly at him as though daring him to keep her off the case "I want to catch him Gibbs" she repeated.

Gibbs sighed and looked and stared at her long and hard as he debated "you stay back ok" he said firmly "not because I am trying to side line you, because we can't risk Weer spotting you and our cover being blown" slowly Ziva nodded and grabbed her rucksack avoiding everyone's eyes as she followed them into the elevator, once the doors shut though she couldn't escape and she felt Tony catch her arm

"Ziva" he said softly but stopped when she looked up into his greenie eyes her own gaze unwavering "Tony" she whispered "I need to do this, trust me", he stared at her obviously torn before he nodded unhappily "just please be careful" he whispered and she nodded smiling comfortingly at him before facing the front where she felt her confidence slip and she took a deep breath calming herself. She felt her stomach clench at the thought of confronting Weer again.

She just hoped that this would all end today and she would be able to move on and return to her family.

XO

When they arrived, the place was bustling with life, people moved around them this way and that clutching coffees, folders and briefcases, talking intently to companions of on their phones all oblivious to the danger.

Slowly they all moved forward Tony sticking close to Ziva as they covered their guns and badges with their jackets scanning the area searching for a sight of Weer and his crew. After clearing the outside they regrouped and headed into the building along with many other people.

"McGee alert security" Gibbs said when they came into a large hall and saw it filled with people, instantly McGee disappeared off. "what is going on" Ziva asked looking around "why are there so many people here" "navy family meet" Tony said softly his eyes darting around "families of marines who are deployed all come together for comfort whilst their loved ones are at sea"

Ziva looked around at all the men and women talking away to each other and then she felt her stomach clench in fear when she saw a group of little boys and girls playing in the corner excitedly, she lowered her hand to her gun feeling slightly comforted when she felt the handle mould into her grip and she held it tightly as she looked around searching for any sign of anyone acting suspicious.

Slowly she moved over to the small bar waiting for the barmen to finish serving people so that she could ask him if he had seen Weer, when he did come over and she showed him Weer's picture he didn't recognise him and moved off quickly to serve more people, Ziva sighed and looked around to see Tony and Gibbs still moving slowly around scanning the assembled faces.

Her gaze once again fell on the children playing and she saw that one of them was dressed like a little marine, she smiled at him, an adorable little boy with light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes and the most infectious smile ever, she sighed looking away unable to think about those children.

"Hello Ziva"

Instantly she froze before her hand twitched backwards towards her gun "ah ah" he said and she felt something getting pressed against her back and she paused "good girl" he praised and she felt the knife twist, she didn't move she just allowed her eyes to flick around looking for her team, "how about we take a walk" Weer said softly and she felt him take her shoulder "before the rest of your team spot us"

Ziva didn't move until she felt the knife getting pressed harder into her back then slowly she began to move, her eyes still searching the people, she saw Tony pause to one side of her and look around for her and breathing slowly she raised her head straight and slowly walked on hoping that he would spot her "come on" Weer growled and shoved her forward "feeling nervous" she asked bluntly "shut up" he hissed and shoved her forward out of the main hall into the reception area where three of his men were waiting, one of them was Dillon Cross.

Weer pushed Ziva forward before he and his men circled her and she twisted round glaring at them all before she faced Weer as he stood there smiling at her "how are you doing my dear" he asked "it has been a long while since our last conversation hasn't it, and to be honest I didn't think we would get the chance to have another chat, I didn't think you would survive that"

Ziva didn't speak 'come on' she thought desperately 'come on Tony', he smiled at her "why aren't you going to talk to me Ziva" he asked, again she kept her mouth shut "how is the sweet little one" he asked and her stomach clenched "what was her name" he mused "… Tali wasn't it… yes that was it, Tali, such a beautiful name for a beautiful child, Hebrew am I correct … meaning lamb… is that what you want her to be Ziva? A little lamb, innocent to all of this" "don't you talk about her" Ziva snapped.

He laughed and his eyes gleamed as he found her weak spot "we knew you would come here Ziva, we knew you would try and stop us as soon as I turned my phone on so we set this little meeting up to … well persuade you otherwise" Ziva glared at him "you have killed many people" she hissed "including seven innocent people in that store" "it was meant to be 10" he said with a grin "but then I decided that the little one would be good leverage some other time and that is what I am here to tell you today Ziva"

He moved towards her but she backed away until she felt the wall "stop chasing us" Weer said standing in front of her "otherwise next time I won't be so sparing on your little one"

"there won't be a next time" Ziva spat "you stay away from her" he chuckled "oh there will be a next time Ziva unless you end the search for me and let me and my men go"

Ziva stared at him as he leaned in close pinning her against the wall "think about it" he murmured "I hope for little Tali's sake this is the last I see of you Ziva" he pulled away and Ziva let out a small gasp sagging as he stepped away, he chuckled "goodbye" Ziva he said standing in front of her "remember what I said wont you" he turned and moved away.

Ziva stood there frozen in fear before she snapped and swung round to face him yanking out her gun "don't take another step" she growled at Weer, slowly he stopped at the same time his men all pulled their guns out pointing them at her "Ziva" Weer chided "what did I just tell you" slowly she took a few steps forward, gun raised hearing the safeties being clicked off of the other guns, but she ignored them focusing only on Weer, "now I listened to you" she hissed "it is your turn to listen to me"

She heard a shout from behind and suddenly Tony appeared next to her yanking out his weapon "Ziva" he gasped "thank god", she ignored him for now though and took a step away from him "You listening" she asked looking at Weer who was watching with an almost amused look on his face "if you _ever_ come anywhere near my daughter again, so help me I will not hesitate to kill you, you so much as even mention her name ever again it will be the last thing you ever say, do you understand?"

Wee just looked at her before he smiled "I understand Ziva" he said "do you understand what I told you though" Ziva stiffened and she felt Tony come up beside her again "what is he talking about" he asked and his voice was full of anger, Ziva didn't respond, "hello agent DiNozzo" Weer said "don't mean to be rude but I think it is time we left, time we got down to business" "don't you move you son of a bitch" Tony snarled his finger tightening on the trigger of his gun "just give me a reason why I shouldn't"

Weer looked over his shoulder at him "Oh I can give you about seven" he said "and they are all on you", Ziva glanced over at Tony and froze when she spotted tiny little red dots dancing around on his chest, with a small gasp she looked up at to see half a dozen men with large guns and lasers leaning out over the balcony pointing their guns at them, "Tony" she whispered reaching out and placing a hand on Tony's gun pushing it down, he glanced at her and his eyes widened and looking down Ziva saw the red dots dancing across her chest too, slowly they both lowered their guns glaring at Weer angrily "Mr Cross" Weer said smiling triumphantly "would you care to make your exit" Dillon Cross smirked "you want me to do it now" he asked "wait for my signal please" Weer said and Dillon Cross nodded before he slipped out of the building and he disappeared from sight.

"now" Weer said "we are leaving now and you are going to let us do you hear me or your little one might end up parentless" they both tensed, Ziva could see Tony trembling with anger hating how he had to let Weer walk out of here after what he had done to them all, but they knew that if they so much as raised their guns a centimetre they would never see Tali again.

Weer smiled "good day Tony and Ziva" he said "I hope I don't see you again soon" and with that he turned and strolled out of the building with his men following. Once he was clear Ziva looked at Tony and watched as to her relief the red dots vanished, she looked up to see that the gunmen had also disappeared.

She gave a shaky sigh and felt Tony cup her cheek "Zee" he asked worriedly "are you ok", she nodded shakily "yes" she whispered before she leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her hugging her tightly as she clung to him "thank god you are ok" he murmured "I was so scared when I couldn't see you anywhere, I was so worried that he had taken you and…" he couldn't finish "I'm ok" she whispered and he let out a sigh hugging her tightly.

At that moment there was a shout and Gibbs and McGee came running up "what the hell" Gibbs asked looking at them "why did you two disappear" "Weer" they both responded and his eyes widened "you saw him" he demanded "what happened.

Slowly Ziva moved over to a bench and sat down before she carefully explained how Weer had forced her out with a knife to her back before talking to her "what did he say" Tony asked "what did he mean by 'do you understand what I told you" Ziva looked at him and her hand snuck over to his and she gripped it "he told me to stop chasing him" she whispered "and that if we don't stop chasing him then… he said 'he wont be so sparing on our little one"

Everyone stared "what" Tony breathed and she nodded "he said he'll kill Tali if we don't drop the case", Tony swore under his breath and the action was mimicked by Gibbs and McGee, Ziva just sat on the bench trying not to let her fear consume her.

Gibbs let out a groan running his hand through his hair "McGee" he said "call Vance and inform him of the situation and then call Dorneget and have him go and get Tali, I want her at NCIS immediately where she is safe and we are not going to be able to get there soon ok, tell him Abby has a spare car seat in her lab" he turned to look at Tony and Ziva "you two ok" he asked softly, slowly they nodded "she'll be safe at NCIS" he said "and once we get back we will figure out what to do next until Weer is caught and she is safe" they nodded again "come on" he said "lets grab security videos and dust for prints so we can get back ok"

They nodded and numbly followed their boss off towards the security office desperate to get this done so that they could return to their daughter.

XO

Tali was playing in the sand pit with her friends when she heard her name being called and she rose excitedly wondering if it was mommy or daddy coming to pick her up, she dashed over to grab her bag and coat before she ran to the door where she slowed and paused uncertainly as she saw a man she vaguely recognised from where mommy and daddy worked but she didn't know well.

Apprehensively she approached "hey Tali" he said crouching down in front of her "you remember me, I work with mommy and daddy" she nodded cautiously "Donget" she asked "close enough" he responded "where mommy and daddy" she asked "they have to work a bit longer but they asked me to take you back to NCIS so you can play with Abby yeah", she chewed her lip uncertainly before she nodded "ok" she said "you got car seat" she asked uncertainly, mommy had told her she must always sit in a car seat until she was a big girl.

"er yes" he said glancing around "shall we go then" she nodded and clutching her bag and coat she followed him outside watching as he looked around cautiously before he led her over to his car "see your seat is in the back" he said opening the door for her and she moved towards it.

That was when she heard a screech of tyres and she looked over to see a van pull up next to her and two men leapt out, she heard a cry and spun round to see the agent Donget collapse to the ground as another man appeared and hit him over the head with a pipe. She gasped and stumbled backwards as the other two men moved towards her "hello little one" one of the men said as he moved towards her, she didn't like him, his eyes were very dark, like where the monsters hid. She backed up into the side of the car and found herself stuck, she whimpered as he continued towards her "hello" he said again "Tali isn't it" he crooned "my name is Dillon honey do you want to come with me"

He held out his hand to her but she shook her head "no" she wailed "I want mommy" she looked around frantically hoping to see her mommy or daddy coming to save her but there was no one around, the nasty man was moving towards her "come on sweetheart" he said "you come with us and you will see mommy and daddy again very soon" "no" she wailed but he ignored her

"start the van" he said and Tali saw his men move away and clamber in the van as he reached for her, Tali let out a squeal and scrambled away "mommy" she cried "mommy"

"come here" he growled and he grabbed for her again but Tali remembered what her mommy told her "_if someone is scaring you Tali you run away, run away and hide" _and that was what she did, she turned and ran staggering away as fast as she could, she heard him say a bad word before she heard him chasing after her and then she felt him grab her.

It wasn't like when daddy chased her and grabbed her, once he had her he would tickle her and let her go when she wanted but this man didn't, he held her tight and it hurt, she didn't like it, she wriggled and squirmed terrified "ima" she cried "ima, daddy, daddy help me" she continued to scream and struggle but he ignored her and carried her over to the van clambering in and throwing her down before he slammed the door shut "go" he shouted and Tali felt the van move.

She began to cry, screaming at the top of her lungs, screaming for mommy and daddy to come and rescue her, she cowered away from the nasty man and his friends as he lifted up a phone to his ear like the one mommy had. "yeah boss" he said "we got her" he looked over at her "shut up" he roared and Tali let out a small squeal of fright before she covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut curling up in the corner of the van crying quietly for her mommy and daddy.

X

When the van eventually stopped she peeped through her fingers to see all the men clambering out, the man who had taken her moved over to talk to someone who spoke back to him before he moved over and sat on the edge of the van looking in at her "hello little darling" he said in a soft gentle voice "don't be frightened honey I wont hurt you"

"you hurt mommy" Tali cried pressing herself as far away from him as possible "you hurt mommy" "aw honey its ok I wont hurt you" he crooned at her "come on now look what I have for you", he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little stuffed toy monkey "look its for you honey" he held it out to her "come on, come and get it" he coaxed. Tali stared at him frightened but she didn't move, he sighed before he slowly placed the toy on the floor of the van and pushed it towards her, Tali stared at him before she edged forward inch by inch and grabbed the toy before she retreated into her corner, she hugged it tightly feeling its soft fur against her cheek as she cuddled it against her face.

It smelt funny, she realised and she frowned looking at the man who had a nasty smirk on his face as he watched her, uncertainly Tali sniffed the toy again and instantly was overwhelmed by a dizzying sense, she whimpered as she felt her arms and legs go heavy and she felt tired, slowly she slid down so that she lay on the floor of the van, she stared at the nasty man as he clambered into the van to crouch next to her.

"aren't you an adorable little thing" he murmured, Tali tried to move away but she was to tired, her eyelids felt heavy, like they did after a long day out at the park or the zoo, she whimpered again.

"I…want…. Mommy" she managed before everything went black.

XO

Weer smiled as he watched the tiny girl go limp in the back of the van, lacing the toy with Chloroform had been a good idea, the little girl hadn't even known what hit her, he slowly reached in and picked her up carrying her out of the van into the warehouse, he was surprised by how light she was, she was the tiniest child he had ever seen, he carried her into a little room and lay her down on an old mattress before he straightened up studying her.

She looked a lot like her mother, with thick dark curls splayed across the mattress, slightly darkened skin and a lithe body that curled up defensively, she was cute, for a kid, surprising how someone so small could be the key to keeping the cops at bay.

He had seen the girl's mother with her in the store, how she had tried to protect her, how even when she was bleeding out her first priority had been to hold her daughter, to try and keep her safe, how frantic she had gotten when he had taken the girl away from her, how she had been screaming and begging him to let her go.

Yes this girl would be the ticket to his escape, because he knew that her mother wouldn't let anything happen to her, whatever the cost.

**Haha hope you enjoyed that**

**Don't worry everything will turn out ok I promise **

**Please review – your feedback encourages me to keep writing.**

**Will update as soon as I can I promise **

**Thanks - Mysticgirl**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hi everyone sorry this took so long, I knew what I wanted to write but didn't know how to phrase it if you know what I mean :P**

**Anyway hope you enjoy**

Chapter 26 - Rescue

When the team arrived back at NCIS Tony and Ziva moved very purposefully into the building and to their bullpen looking around "where is she" Ziva asked "she is probably with Abby" Gibbs said soothingly "lets go get her" he followed them down into the elevator and down to Abby's lab.

When they arrived they instantly knew that something wasn't right, Abby's music was blaring loudly which was something she didn't do when she had Tali because Tali didn't like it so loud, Ziva looked at Tony worriedly before she leapt out into Abby's lab. "Abby" she gasped "where's Tali"

Abby whirled round to face her "Ziva" she said in surprise "wow um you are back early, Dorneget hasn't gotten back with Tali yet" Ziva stared at her as Tony and Gibbs came in "what" she whispered "when did he leave" Abby glanced at her clock, then she froze when she noticed the time "oh god" she whispered and she looked at Ziva "about an hour ago" she whispered, Ziva gave a gasp before she turned and almost collided with Tony and Gibbs as she ran out of the lab, they ran after her Gibbs calling McGee telling him to trace Dornegets phone.

Tony and Ziva leapt into the car and Gibbs followed them "McGee" he shouted "where is he" "his phone says that he is still at Tali's day care" McGee called, Ziva slammed her foot onto the pedal and the car jerked forward as under the cover of the sirens she sped towards the day care centre screeching into the car park "look there's his car" Tony said pointing and she skidded to a stop next to it scrambling out, Tony sprinted into the centre to check for Tali as Ziva and Gibbs ran towards Dorneget's car, they found him lying unconscious next to it and Gibbs put his fingers to his neck "he's alive" he said softly looking up at Ziva who didn't appear to be listening, she was looking around frantically her face terrified, then she froze and moved forward a few steps away from Gibbs, behind the car and out of sight.

"boss" McGee called down the phone "what's happening" Gibbs straightened up and moved towards Ziva who was crouching next to something, Gibbs moved found her and felt his heart break as he saw her staring at a little purple coat with a pink rabbit stitched on the pocket lying in front of her next to the little backpack with the Disney princesses on the front and the head of a very familiar hippo poking out the top.

Gibbs swallowed before he quietly answered McGee "call an ambulance McGee, Agent Dorneget is down" "what about Tali" McGee asked, he sighed "inform director Vance that Alexander Weer has just become umber one on our most wanted wall" he said looking at Ziva as tears began to dribble down her cheeks "he just kidnapped the three year old daughter of two federal agents" he heard McGee gasp but he didn't listen anymore he just hung up before he crouched next to Ziva reaching out to squeeze her shoulder.

At his touch she let out a strangled sob and leaned against him sobbing in fright "Tali" she choked out again and again "Tali" "shh" Gibbs whispered stroking her hair gently "shh it'll be ok Ziva I swear no one is going to stop until we have her back, we wont give up until she is safe" but his words however did little to console her and she continued to sob for her little girl.

He heard footsteps and looked up to see Tony hurriedly approaching his face panicked, he stopped when he saw Ziva crying and then his eyes fell on Tali's coat and rucksack and his face crumpled with pain "no" he whispered "oh god no", slowly he bent staring at his daughter's things as Ziva turned her head to look at him, he stared at her panicked not knowing what to say to her before he reached out and gently pulled her into his arms taking over comforting her as Gibbs rose to his feet struggling to remain calm, slowly he moved into the day care asking if anyone had seen anything before he took the security tapes and headed back outside where he found his two agents in the same position struggling to hold themselves together.

As he headed back to his car to pull out their crime scene equipment he heard the sounds of approaching sirens and saw an ambulance approaching, he directed them over to Dorneget who appeared to be coming round now, the paramedics quickly took him to the ambulance and when McGee arrived looking panicked Gibbs told him to follow the ambulance and interview Dorneget when he came was ready and ask him what he remembered.

He ignored the other authorities who had arrived and focused on his job, finding his missing granddaughter, he approached Tony and Ziva again crouching down next to them, reaching out for the bag and coat, he hated having to place them in an evidence bag, it didn't feel right, Tali was meant to be innocent but seeing her things, her cute little coat and her beloved toy in the plastic evidence bag was so painful, suddenly she had been yanked into this world unfairly and he hated it.

Once he had bagged it he placed it in the trunk of his car before he approached Tony and Ziva once again "hey" he said softly, slowly Tony looked up at him but Ziva didn't move from where she had her head buried in his chest "come on" Gibbs said "lets get back to NCIS"

Tony nodded and slowly helped Ziva to her feet and led her to the car. Gibbs drove them back and the drive was silent, and once they arrived at NCIS they followed him mutely through the building down to Abby's lab where the scientist was waiting "oh my gosh I have been so worried" she gasped "is she ok did you…" she broke off when she saw the tears streaming down Ziva's face and the shock on Tony's, she looked at Gibbs confused "Gibbs" she whispered "what happened"

Slowly Gibbs held out the bag and rucksack hating the horror that blossomed on her face "check these for evidence Abs" he said before he looked at Tony and Ziva "go to the bullpen" he said "run checks on Weer and Cross ok" neither of them spoke they just nodded and silently moved out of the lab.

Gibbs turned back to Abby "she was taken from outside her day care centre, they attacked Dorneget before they grabbed her, we don't know the exact time she was taken but we estimate between 2.30 and 3.15, we will know as soon as we look at the security video of her kidnapping"

Abby lay the evidence bags on the table and carefully opened them tugging the hippo she had given to Tali out of the bag stroking it gently before she lay it to one side, then she looked at Gibbs "I don't know how much evidence will be on here Gibbs" she whispered "it looks like Tali dropped them when he grabbed her" she swallowed "oh god poor Tali" she whispered "Abby" Gibbs said "focus, see what you can get ok" she nodded but didn't look convinced "Abby you find evidence as to where they have her and you could be her best chance of getting through this" he said, Abby swallowed "why wont you say her name" she whispered "you just refer to Tali as 'her' or 'she', why not call her by her name" Gibbs looked at her "because I cant bare to think of it being her who Weer has" he said quietly "I cant think about it being her and I need to focus"

Abby nodded "I feel the same" she mumbled, slowly Gibbs moved towards her "then don't think about it as her" he murmured "don't think about it being Tali, imagine she is up in bullpen, playing with Tony, gluing McGee's fingers to his keyboard" Abby smiled closing her eyes to imagine it "can I come see her" she murmured almost to herself, Gibbs gently kissed her cheek "as soon as you rescue this little girl and return her to her mommy and daddy" he murmured and Abby nodded opening her eyes as he headed towards the door "Gibbs" she called and he turned to see her grab Bernie the hippo "for Ziva" she said "he was in the bag so I doubt there will be anything on him, give him to Ziva, for when… when you find her"

Gibbs nodded and took the toy from her "call me if you find anything" he said and then he headed back up to the bullpen. As he stood in the elevator he looked at the soft toy "it's ok sweetpea" he murmured "you'll be ok, we'll find you soon and you will be safe I promise" he sighed, he couldn't lose Tali, it would be too painful, like losing Kelly all over again.

When the elevator doors opened he found Tony and Ziva standing in front of the big screen their eyes filled with pain, Gibbs glanced at McGee who swallowed before he looked at Tony and Ziva "this video was sent to Ziva's phone a few minutes ago" he said, he didn't put it on the big screen again, Gibbs just moved round to see and he felt his heart shatter at what he saw.

Tali, sitting in a pool of blood staring up at the camera as she cowered away tears streaming down her cheeks as she cried loudly rubbing her eyes, smearing blood across her face and as her bloodstained fists tried to wipe the tears away but made it worse. Gibbs recognised it as the video Weer must have taken when he took Tali away from Ziva in that store, he clenched his fists angry at how Weer was taunting them all.

He looked up at Ziva and saw that she was staring straight ahead with tears streaming down her cheeks now, Tony was gripping her hand tightly trying to comfort her and hold himself together. Vance moved into the bullpen just then looking pretty pissed, he glanced at Tony and Ziva before he looked at Gibbs "what happened" he asked softly, slowly Gibbs explained how they had tracked Weer and he had separated Ziva from them before taunting her about Tali, then he had sent Cross out when Tony had arrived obviously deciding it would be easier to just take the child, he explained what they knew about the abduction and McGee showed them the security footage which showed Dorneget getting knocked out and Tali trying to flee before Cross grabbed her and threw her into the van

"Dorneget hasn't woken up yet" McGee said "but the hospital said they would call me as soon as he did, I also put a BOLO out on the van, nothing yet but I there is also an Amber Alert on Tali which I attached to the BOLO so I am hopeful that it will encourage more officers to look for it" Gibbs nodded at McGee approvingly before he looked at Vance who was looking at the frozen footage of Tali with anger in his eyes, Gibbs looked too and saw that it was as Cross grabbed her, her eyes were wide and terrified and she looked so confused, he switched the screen off as Vance looked at him "you do whatever it takes to get her back Gibbs" he said "oh don't you worry I will" Gibbs said and Vance nodded not looking surprised "keep me up to date" he said and Gibbs nodded as his boss headed up the stairs.

At that moment Ziva's desk phone rang but no one moved to answer it, they just let it ring on and on until it stopped, then her phone which hung limply in her hand bleeped and she lifted it and her eyes widened as she let out a gasp coving her mouth. Then her desk phone rang again and she dived for it slamming her hand onto the speaker button dropping her phone so that Gibbs could read the text that she had received:

'**Answer your phone Ziva – A W'**

"_hello" _Ziva gasped bending over the phone, for a moment there was silence then they heard Weer **"hello Ziva, thank you for answering this time"**

"_where is Tali you son of a bitch" _Ziva cried fighting to hold back tears _"what did you do to my daughter" _**"aw Ziva don't worry your little girl is fine, she is sleeping at the moment, I am taking very good care of her" **

Ziva looked at Gibbs desperately and he looked back at her worried, there was no way Tali would be able to sleep in this situation, she would be way too scared, that meant that Weer was drugging her and drugging a child of her age was never safe, they really needed to get Tali out of there.

"_please" _Ziva whispered _"please let her go, she is just a baby" _Weer chuckled **"I am willing to let her go Ziva, in exchange for a little something" **_"what" _Ziva whispered swallowing deeply **"I want everything you have on me Ziva, I want it all, the original documents, not just copies and I don't want you copying it either, I want all the files and all the evidence, do you think you can do that"**

Ziva looked up at Gibbs pleadingly and he hesitated before he heard someone clear their throat and he looked over to see that Vance had reappeared, his boss looked at Ziva and nodded, Ziva nodded back before she said _"I… I can do that" _**"good" **Weer crooned **"you have three hours to get it ready before I call you back and tell you where to meet, have it ready by then and don't worry Ziva, sweet Tali will be fine, as long as you do what I say" **and with that he hung up.

Ziva sank into her chair looking shocked, looking at Tony Gibbs could see that he didn't look that much better "McGee" Vance said "run down to Miss Scuito's lab and fetch the evidence, I want it all catalogued and everything copied no matter what he says… and hurry we only have three hours" he turned to Gibbs "I don't like it" he said "the moment he has that evidence that little girl is just a loose end, she will be disposable and if he gets what he wants we will never catch him, that is if he doesn't kill everyone there, I don't like playing on his terms"

"um" McGee said looking hesitant "what" Gibbs asked "I um think there could be another way" McGee said and everyone looked at him "I er managed to trace the call" he said and everyone stared "what" Tony asked "I traced his call and I have an address"

"McGee" Tony said weakly "I love you" McGee gave him a look "does that mean you will stop giving me nicknames" "for now" Tony said "what is the address" McGee held it out and Gibbs took it "warehouse district" he said and looked over his shoulder to see Tony and Ziva standing my their desks gearing up "hold on you two" he said "we need a plan here to get her back"

Tony looked up at him "yeah do what ever it takes to get her back" he said sharply "Tony" Gibbs warned but Tony just looked at him with a cold look in his eyes, it was almost dead. "I don't care what happens to me" he said in a soft yet dangerous voice "but I am not going to let anything happen to my little girl do you hear me"

Gibbs looked at him before he sighed looking at Ziva "what do you want to do" he asked.

XO

When they pulled up outside the warehouse that McGee had traced the call to they used the thermal imaging camera to look at the area "I see at least fifteen people" McGee said looking at the screen "I er don't see Tali though" he murmured "they probably have her well hidden" Gibbs murmured "and where she is so small she probably isn't showing up so clearly"

He finished strapping on his gear and looked at his team "ok listen" he said "we have to do this right ok, we go in quietly, sneak around, nobody fires their gun unless absolutely necessary because if they hear gunfire they could get spooked and that will put Tali in harms way do you hear me" he looked at them all and his gaze lingered longest on the two terrified parents, he waited until they had both nodded before he held out some radios and ear sets "everyone checks in when spoken to" he said watching them gear up, then he looked at the waiting NCIS agents who had volunteered to come help get Tali back, they were all ready and waiting and he made a final check before he signalled "lets go" he said.

Ziva felt her breath quicken as they approached the back door of the warehouse and one of the accompanying agents cut the padlock with some bolt cutters and pulled the door open, she followed Gibbs into the building and instantly set off in search of her child, she sensed Gibbs giving silent directions to the agents before he and McGee followed her and Tony as they made their way through the building.

The warehouse was filled with crates stacked high making it difficult for them to see anything, none of them paid attention to the crates though, for now they were unimportant, at least until they had Tali.

As the time went by and they crept deeper into the warehouse Ziva felt her anxiety levels increase, this was getting dangerous, sensing her unease, Gibbs sent her and Tony one way whilst he and McGee went the other trying to cover more ground. Ziva crept forward and peered round a crate before she pulled back shoving Tony into the crates as a guard walked past clutching a gun tightly. They stayed there frozen until his footsteps had faded, then they continued.

As they rounded the next corner though another guard appeared, he was young and looked very shocked to see them and he fumbled with his gun with gave Ziva enough time to run forward and strike him in the throat preventing him from crying out as she grabbed his gun swinging it away from herself and then knock him out with the base of her own gun, Tony caught him as he fell to the floor preventing any sound, as he straightened up after their silent attack, he nodded to her and touched her hand, trying to silently comfort her, Ziva nodded back, but she didn't look him in the eye, she couldn't look him in the eye because she was too scared.

When they came to the end of the next row of crates they peered round to see a whole group of guards standing together smoking as they talked quietly guns still in hand. Cursing silently Ziva pulled back to look at Tony "what do we do" she breathed, he looked back out before he ran a hand through his hair indecision on his face as he took in the situation.

That was when a terrified crying began to echo around the building sobbing "ima ima" over and over again, Ziva let out a gasp of horror "Tali" she breathed and Tony caught hold of her shoulder afraid she might run out, he looked over to see that all the guards were looking up obviously confused by the sound, they looked at each other before deciding to check the area and they instantly began to move off, half of them going one way, the other half going the other way, towards them.

Cursing Tony looked at Ziva before he pulled her into his arms pressing a kiss to her forehead "I'll distract these guards" he whispered "go find Tali" before he shoved her off in the other direction, she stared at him shocked "go" he hissed and she let out a small gasp before she broke into a stumbling run ducking round behind some crates as the guards moved round the corner and instantly Tony leapt at them grabbing them and throwing them to the floor fighting angrily.

Hating that she had to leave him but determined to find their daughter Ziva ran down the next row past the fighting taking out every guard she encountered, she skidded to a stop gasping at the next end and spun round trying to get her bearings.

That was then the crying started up again and with another gasp she ran towards her daughter's terrified sobs, "ima" her daughter cried "ima" "Tali" she cried "Tali I am coming, hang on, Tali…" she broke off as she skidded round a corner and found herself face to face with a laptop placed on a little table showing the video of her daughter sitting in the pool of her mother's blood crying out to her, wanting to go back to her but being forced to sit there.

Ziva stared at the video in horror until it ended and the screen went black, that was when she realised that she could still hear sobbing and she let out a gasp as she heard a taunting voice croon "look baby there's mommy", she made to spin round but before she could something struck her hard on the back of the head and she fell to the floor hearing a small squeal of fright from above her. For a few seconds she lay still fighting to stay conscious before gasping she rolled onto her side and looked up.

Weer was standing over her grinning triumphantly at her as he pointed a large semi automatic gun at her, and in his other arm he held a crying Tali who was pushing to get away from him as she stared down at Ziva with tears streaming down her cheeks "mommy" she sobbed holding out a hand to her "mommy"

Weer let out a laugh of delight looking at Tali "Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop" he crooned "When the wind blows, the cradle will rock, When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, And down will come baby, cradle and all"

He let out a laugh as he finished and jiggled Tali as she whimpered again "mommy" she cried desperately

Ziva let out a groan and forced herself into a sitting position reaching for her gun, as she did so though Weer leapt forward and planted his foot into her gut causing her to let out a cry of pain and curl inwards around her stomach gasping as Tali's cries for her progressed to wails.

"push your gun away now Ziva, there's a good girl" Weer said firmly, Ziva just looked up at him gasping for breath. He sighed and the gun rose away from her and he pushed it against Tali's stomach "no" Ziva begged "please don't" she shoved the gun away from her watching it slide across the floor towards Weer who smiled "good" he praised but the gun didn't move from where it was pointing at Tali.

Ziva looked at her daughter who was squirming in Weer's grip trying to get to her mother, "stop it" Weer snapped at her and she flinched before she froze frightened and her gaze fell on her mother again and she stared at her as though wondering why she wasn't saving her from the nasty man.

"Tali" she whispered "please just let her go, you promised you wouldn't hurt her" "ah but that was before you broke into my warehouse Ziva, I don't like it when people enter without my permission, you should have just done as I had asked and gone to the exchange" "if we had done as you had said the moment you had the evidence she would be worthless to you" Ziva gasped hauling herself into a sitting position again "you would have just killed her once you had gotten what you had wanted"

Weer chuckled at her "you have very little faith Ziva" he said, he looked at Tali and bounced her up and down "stop that crying" he crooned, Tali didn't take her eyes off of Ziva who managed to stagger to her feet staring desperately at her daughter who was sniffing and hiccupping.

"let her go" Ziva whispered again "she is just a little girl, please don't hurt her" Weer sighed "stop asking me to let her go" he said staring at Ziva scathingly "if I had any intention of letting her go I would have done so already", Ziva bit her lip "I will do whatever you ask" she whispered "just release her"

"no" he roared and, Ziva flinched in surprise at the sudden anger as Tali let out a squeal of fright and began to squirm again until he shook her roughly, he glared at Ziva before he suddenly calmed himself "as long as I have her you will do as I say" he growled "unless you want to see that" he pointed to the laptop "again live, and this time it would be her blood and her stomach that had a bullet lodged in it" Ziva clenched her fists desperately "what do you want me to do" she asked not looking at him or Tali, he chuckled "I want to finish off the job I failed to do last time" he said smoothly and with a sinking feeling in her stomach Ziva looked up at him "but I also want you to feel pain and all she has to be is alive"

Ziva let out a gasp as he pointed the gun at Tali's chest "no" she cried and leapt forward but he swung the gun out to whack her hard sending her staggering back "no" she screamed looking back up feeling blood trickle down her face "Tali" she screamed as he readied himself and she saw Tali staring at her with her green eyes wide.

Just then there was a shout of "NO" and Tony appeared running towards them his eyes wide with anger, Weer spun round to face him and he smirked as his finger tightened on the trigger.

Tony instantly skidded to a stop took a deep breath and swung his gun up firing a single shot.

Weer let out a gasp of surprise as the bullet missed Tali and buried itself into his chest and he staggered, Ziva instantly ran forward towards him grabbing for the gun wrestling it away from Tali before she grabbed her child and yanked her away from Weer pulling her into her arms before she ran, she ran straight towards Tony who still had his gun raised pointing at Weer his eyes blazing with anger.

Weer stared at them as he moved his hand up to clutch at his chest whilst the gun slipped from his other fist as he staggered. As he fell to his knees he looked straight at them before a smirk slipped onto his face, then he keeled over and went still.

Still breathing hard Tony turned to look at Ziva who was clinging to Tali tightly pressing her daughter's head into her shoulder trying to hide the dead body from her as she whispered words of comfort kissing her daughter's hair as tears of relief trickled down her cheeks. Tali was still crying hard as she refused to lift her head from her mothers shoulder, her hands were clenched into fists which clutched at handfuls of Ziva's shirt terrified of being separated from her again, in between sniffs and hiccups she kept whimpering "ima" over and over again. "shh aheva" Ziva whispered "shh, no one will hurt you again baby girl, you are safe now"

"I don't think so" came a sharp voice from behind and Ziva froze looking straight at Tony who stared back at her before he slowly turned to find Dillon Cross standing behind them along with a group of soldiers, all of them had their weapons aimed at Tony, Ziva and Tali.

Slowly Tony stepped protectively in front of Ziva and Tali and raised his own weapon, "drop the gun Agent DiNozzo" Cross said glaring at him "you are outnumbered, you cannot beat us all, drop the gun" "no all of you step down" Tony said "Alexander Weer is dead, your boss is dead, it is over, lower your weapons"

Cross laughed as he stepped forward and his men followed "you don't get it do you" he sneered and Tony pushed Ziva backwards trying to maintain the gap between them and Cross "Weer may be dead but it is not over" Cross continued as he stared at them "I am now in charge, Weer selected me to take his place should he fall and I do so now, my first act though will be to avenge his death"

He brought his weapon up to point at Tony who slipped his hand back to touch Tali's back before he rubbed Ziva's shoulder "I love you" he whispered, then he brought his hand back to grip his gun and he readied himself aiming his gun straight at Cross, then slowly he smiled "you got someone to replace you" he asked, Cross smirked "don't need one" he said "the moment your finger tenses on that trigger my men will fire, no one will shoot me"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that" came a very angry voice from behind and everyone spun round to see Gibbs, McGee and the rest of the agents moving towards them, guns raised and with Gibbs in the front looking angrier than Tony had ever seen him.

"now who's outnumbered" Gibbs growled jerking his gun and all of Cross' men tensed, Cross moved away from Tony and Ziva until he was standing at the front of his men "if you want your agents and their little girl to survive" he said "I suggest you make a hole and let us go", slowly he pointed his gun in Tony and Ziva's vague direction and three of his agents instantly aimed their weapons at them, tensing Tony pushed Ziva and Tali behind him trying to shield them from the guns as he kept his own weapon raised.

"over my dead body are you getting out of here alive" Gibbs growled "after what you have done you are lucky I am giving you the option to live rather than just shooting you right here on the spot" Cross smirked and his eyes narrowed "so be it then" he said smiling "shoot them" he added

Instantly Gibbs and McGee both fired and the three men aiming their weapons at the DiNozzos crumpled to the ground dead "anyone else" Gibbs shouted looking at them all angrily.

Glaring angrily at him Cross and his men slowly lowered their weapons to the ground and raised their hands above their heads, "cuff them" Gibbs ordered and the agents leapt forward grabbing at the criminals and yanking their hands behind their backs.

Gibbs waited until all of them were restrained before he ordered them to be taken out and for a bus to be summoned to come take them back to NCIS. Then he slowly holstered his gun and moved round to where Tony and Ziva were standing, Tony had his arm around Ziva holding her tightly with his other hand resting on his daughter's back.

Tali still had her head buried into her mother's shoulder sniffing miserably "Tali" Tony whispered stroking her hair "hey princess it's over now, I promise it is over", Tali didn't move at first, then very slowly she turned her head to peer out at him "daddy" she whispered and he gave her a gentle smile "hey there my princess" he whispered, Tali looked up at Ziva before she gave a small sigh and a tiny smile slipped onto her face and the relief on Tony and Ziva's faces was undeniable.

As Gibbs watched Ziva hugged Tali tightly before she whispered "give daddy a hug aheva" and she gently held Tali out to Tony who caught hold of her into a big bear hug, hugging her tightly murmuring "thank god" over and over again. Tali had only been missing four hours, but Gibbs knew that those four hours had been the scariest hours of Tony and Ziva's lives, and he could sympathise, he felt exactly the same. He watched the family hugging each other and Tali mumble "miss you" and Tony smile mumbling "we missed you too little princess" before he moved over to them.

"hey" he said and they all looked up at him "lets get Tali out of here" he said, Tony and Ziva both nodded and they followed him out to the car where Gibbs reached into his bag and pulled out Tali's favourite toy before he turned back to them hiding the toy behind his back.

"hey sweetpea" he said gently and Tali looked at him "grandpa" she said quietly the small smile on her face widening, Gibbs smiled back at her "you ok sweetpea" he asked and she nodded "feel icky" she said pouting, "aw" he said glancing at Tony and Ziva "we'll go somewhere that will make you better but I have something that might help honey", slowly she cocked her head to one side curiously then her smile expanded into a grin as Gibbs brought her toy into view "Bernie" she said holding out her hands to it and Gibbs handed it to her watching as she hugged it so tightly it let out a little farting sound making them all smile.

"some on then" Tony said "lets go make you feel better baby girl" Tali nodded and Tony quickly set her in her car seat and clambered into the back after Ziva as Gibbs clambered into the drivers seat after giving McGee some more instructions. He headed back to NCIS to see Ducky and no doubt Abby, he wanted Ducky to see to Tali again first and then if need be he would take her to the hospital but apart from still being scared and obviously a bit sick she looked ok.

He glanced back in the mirror at her, she had her legs drawn up and was hugging her hippo so tightly he looked like he was about to burst, her eyes were wide ad she looked nervous of everything but physically she was fine, as he watched she turned her head to look at her parents and Gibbs glanced at them too, Ziva had turned her head into Tony's shoulder and as one hand rested next to Tali tears of relief slipped down her cheeks. Tony was hugging her and kissing her hair as he gazed at Tali who looked at him curiously before she smiled and slowly Tony smiled back.

Gibbs smiled to himself too as he drove through the gates of NCIS, Tali certainly was a strong little kid and just like her mommy, she would get through this, with the help of them all at NCIS

**Haha I know awful ending – sorry it took so long**

**Really hope you like it**

**Please review – I promise that I will try and update sooner if I get more reviews**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hi everyone thanks for all the reviews, sorry this one took so long, got a bit blocked :/ anyway enjoy **

Chapter 27

Tali remained clinging to her mother who sat with her daughter cuddled on her lap on the edge of the autopsy table, she was uncertain still, but that was to be expected. It took them a while to persuade her to let Ducky come close but she has soon settled down and was now letting him examine her and did what he asked willingly as long as they did not result in her being separated from Ziva.

Ducky gave her a careful but thorough examination, as he did so he told her little stories that made her giggle keeping her entertained and distracted whilst he worked. Tony, Gibbs, McGee, Abby and Palmer all stood nearby watching and waiting, Gibbs could tell Abby was desperate to give Tali a big hug but right now all Tali wanted was to cling to her mother, she felt safe right there in her mother's arms and right now, they wanted her to feel safe.

Eventually Ducky stepped back and looked at the watching crowd waiting anxiously "well I think we can count our blessings" he said "physically there appears to be no harm to her, they didn't hurt her at all as far as I can see", everyone sighed in relief and Tony smiled as he moved over to stand next to Ziva looking down at his daughter, "I am concerned about how you said they drugged her though Jethro" Ducky questioned and Gibbs nodded looking at Tali who had Bernie under one arm and was twisting Ziva's wedding rings round her finger, totally absorbed by the action "Weer said when he called that she was sleeping and I don't see her being able to sleep in that situation" Gibbs said "also when we got her out she said she was feeling sick"

Ducky nodded and turned back to Tali. "Tali sweetheart" he said gently and Tali looked up at him uncertainly "do you still feel sick my dear" he asked. Tali nodded slowly "feel icky" she said sadly and Ziva stroked her hair gently. "do you know how they drugged her" Ducky asked and everyone shook their heads.

Then Tony slowly moved round and crouched in front of Tali and Ziva "hey little princess" he said softly and Tali looked at him, he smiled softly at her "hey baby did the bad man give you anything honey" he asked.

Tali looked back down at her hippo on her lap and she began to stroke his soft ears "gave me monkey" she said quietly not looking up from her hippo "a monkey" Tony questioned and Tali nodded "soft brown money" she responded softly still stroking Bernie "smelt funny" she added frowning as she did so.

Tony looked up at Ziva who stroked Tali's hair again before she gently asked "How did it smell funny aheva", Tali frowned and looked up at her "smell sweet" she said slowly "made me feel icky", she paused and ducked her head "then I got sleepy and fell asleep" she said and then she finally looked around at them all "bad man put me in room on my own" she said "I didn't like it, then he got me and mommy came" she looked back up at her mother "I not like bad man" she whispered "he scary". Ziva tightened her grip around her and kissed the top of her head "don't worry aheva he will never hurt us again" she promised and Tali nodded before she snuggled back into Ziva's chest and began to play with Ziva's necklace.

Tony looked at Ducky "she's gonna be ok right" he checked worriedly, Ducky sighed "well it sounds like he drugged her with Chloroform whish is good because we do at least know that he didn't use anything exotic on her, giving the fact that he laced the toy with it makes me think that Tali probably didn't breathe that much in as the moment she felt dizzy she would have dropped the toy, if he had held a cloth over her mouth and nose she might have breathed in a lot more and as she is only small it is good that she only took in a small amount, she will probably feel sick for a couple of days and her head will hurt for a while but she will be find physically in a few days"

Everyone looked at Tali before Tony softly asked "what about mentally Ducky". The old medical examiner sighed "I am afraid to say that might take slightly longer to heal" "how much is slightly longer Duck" Gibbs asked "I can't be sure, everyone is different, everyone reacts different to stressful situations… but Tali is young, she will be easily distracted, it wont take long for her to get over it, soon bigger and more exciting things will fill her little mind, she might dream for a while of have little flashbacks if something triggers them, but honestly we cant be certain"

Everyone looked at Tali again who sensed them watching and looked up at them all her eyes wary, "Tony, Ziva take Tali home" Gibbs said softly and they both nodded. As Tony reached out and lifted Tali into his arms and Ziva slipped off the table the doors to autopsy opened and Vance entered. He strode straight over to the assembled group and looked at Gibbs who turned to look at him "agent Gibbs" Vance said "what happened, did everything turn out ok", he looked rather concerned.

Gibbs didn't respond, he just stepped sideways so that Vance could see Tali in her father's arms, watching him uncertainly as she clenched a handful of Tony's shirt, Vance gave a small smile when he saw her and he looked at them all "she ok" he asked, Ziva nodded "she will be in a few days" she said softly, Vance nodded "Weer and his men" he asked "Weer is dead, the rest of his men including Cross minus three are in custody" Gibbs responded. Vance nodded again "good" he said before he looked back at Tony and Ziva "take your daughter home" he said firmly "spend some time with her"

Again they both nodded and after thanking everyone for everything they had done Tony carried Tali up into the bullpen to grab their gear before he and Ziva headed down to their car where they found Gibbs waiting for them.

"thought you might want these back" he said softly and held out Tali's rucksack and coat which Ziva took gratefully "thank you" she said "you like this coat don't you aheva". Tali nodded as she looked at her mom and dad with her thumb having snuck into her mouth. Ziva glanced at Gibbs worriedly, Tali was never this quiet and it worried them all.

"hey" Gibbs said gently and Ziva looked into his reassuring eyes "give it time Ziver she will be fine" he said softly. Ziva nodded as she glanced over her shoulder at Tony who was placing Tali in her car seat "I know" she whispered "I just hope it doesn't take to long Gibbs". She felt him place a reassuring hand on her shoulder and squeeze it gently "it wont" he murmured "because she is not alone, we are all there for her".

Ziva smiled up at him "I know" she whispered looking back at him as Tony shut the door, "let me know if you need the day off tomorrow" he said and she nodded as Tony slid into the drivers seat and started the engine, "thank you Gibbs" she said softly "for everything" he nodded and touched her cheek before she slowly slipped into the passenger seat and closed the door watching as Gibbs bent down to wave at Tali and Tali peered out at him before a tiny smile slipped onto her face and she waved back as they pulled away.

The ride home was very silent which was very unusual as usually Tali chattered away happily to them. But today she just sat in her car seat staring out the window clutching her hippo who she had brought up so that she could nuzzle her cheek across his soft snout. Ziva glanced over at Tony and as he stopped at a red light he glanced over at her too and she saw the worry she felt reflected in his eyes. Neither of them knew what to do, they weren't used to this Tali, the Tali they were used too was constantly chattering away and always smiling. The Tali in the back of the car was an empty shell of their little princess.

When they arrived home Ziva assisted Tali out of her car seat and as usual set her down on the floor to walk, she was surprised when Tali burrowed herself against her leg clinging to her tightly. "Tali" she whispered stroking her hair "what is wrong aheva", Tali looked up at her with wide eyes before she raised her arms asking to be lifted and Ziva bent to pick her up placing her on her hip where she felt her daughter grip a handful of her jacket and cuddle close.

She blinked furiously to try and stop any tears from coming out before she looked at Tony who's eyes were just as forlorn as he watched them before he slowly pulled out their bags and moved into their building.

Once in the apartment Ziva tried to set Tali down but she let out a whimper of protest and clung to her "Tali baby" Ziva whispered kneeling down and setting her daughter on the floor allowing her to remain clinging to her "hey its ok aheva we are home, it is safe here". Slowly Tali pulled her head out of Ziva's shoulder to look around before she looked back at her mother and stared at her uncertainly. Ziva smiled weakly at her as she reached up to cup her cheeks "we are safe" she whispered staring into her eyes "nothing will hurt you here baby I promise"

Tali stared at her solemnly before she nodded uncertainly and Ziva smiled again at her "there" she whispered rubbing her shoulders "Now shall we get you a bath my darling because you are all dirty" Tali nodded again and slowly Ziva straightened up before she held out her hand and Tali took it quickly and followed her mother into the bathroom.

Tali was quiet as she sat in the tub barely playing with her toys, Ziva knelt next to the tub watching her sadly before she gently began to wash Tali's hair, gently massaging the soap into her scalp before she rinsed it out being carefully to avoid getting soap in her daughter's eyes. Tali sat there silently until Ziva was done and had gently asked "are you ready to get out aheva", she nodded slowly and stood up. Ziva carefully lifted her out and placed her on a mat before draining the tub and turning back to her daughter.

"There" she said as brightly as she could manage "all clean", she wrapped Tali in a big fluffy towel before she looked at her. Tali was staring at the floor refusing to look at her as one small hand wiped water out of her eyes.

"hey" Ziva whispered rubbing her daughter's shoulders as she dried her off "hey Tali look at me my love", slowly Tali looked up at her and Ziva stared into her wide eyes "what is wrong my love" she asked gently "it's ok you can tell mommy" she brushed strands of wet hair out of Tali's face as she searched it for answers.

Tali didn't answer at first she just stared at her before she dropped her gaze and mumbled "I scared" and Ziva paused "of what aheva" she asked gently. "The bad man" Tali mumbled "he and the other bad men were scary and mean and I scared they come back"

Instantly Ziva pulled her into her arms rubbing her back "Tali" she whispered "I swear the bad men are gone and they are gone for good, they wont hurt us ever again, grandpa Gibbs put them away where they cant hurt us"

Tali looked at her confused "where that" she asked and Ziva smiled as she stroked her cheek "where all the bad men that mommy and daddy catch are put, somewhere where they can't hurt anyone"

Tali stared at her "you promise mommy" she asked and Ziva smiled at her "now have I ever lied to you my love" she asked and Tali slowly shook her head. Still smiling Ziva kissed her forehead "let's get you dry then my darling, it is already way past your bedtime"

She towelled Tali dry before she lifted her up and carried her out of the bathroom still wrapped in the towel. Tony was in the kitchen leaning against the oven "hey" he said "I am making you some chicken nuggets little princess are you hungry", Tali nodded eagerly having missed dinner whilst Weer had her. Ziva smiled "lets go put your pyjamas on then whilst daddy finishes cooking them" she said and continued into Tali's room where she set her down before she moved over to the chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of pyjamas and helped her daughter into them.

Once Tali was dressed Ziva gave her hair a quick towel dry before they headed back out to find Tony just serving up her dinner. He grinned when he saw his daughter and bent down to lift her up "there's my beautiful little clean princess" he said and gently ticked her stomach and Ziva was relieved to see her grin before Tony set her in her seat, "bon appetite" he said to her before stepping back to Ziva's side where they both watched as Tali picked at her food for a minute before she began to eat hungrily.

Tony glanced at Ziva to find her eyes firmly fixed on her daughter "you ok" he asked gently wrapping one arm around her to pull her close, she nodded not looking away from Tali "I just wish we could have made Weer suffer for what he did to her" she whispered. He rubbed her arm reassuringly "you and me both" he murmured gently "But it is over now, we are safe, slowly Ziva looked up and smiled weakly at him.

When Tali had finished Tony moved over and scooped her back into his arms "that nice" he asked using his thumb to wipe away excess tomato sauce from around her face smiling as she nodded at him before she slowly rested her head on his shoulder and Ziva saw her eyes drooping.

Just like when she was a baby Tony slowly walked round the apartment rubbing her back until she couldn't hold on any longer and she fell asleep cuddled up in the security of her daddy's arms. Slowly Tony turned to look at Ziva "shall I put her in her room" he asked and Ziva thought "Ducky did say we should just try and make things as normal as possible for her" she said and Tony nodded before they both moved into Tali's room and Ziva shut the curtains and turned the night light on whilst Tony very carefully lay Tali down on her bed, kneeling down beside her to gently pull the covers over her and tuck her in, placing Bernie next to her. She mumbled uncertainly and rolled onto her side hugging her hippo against her chest as her thumb slipped into her mouth before she fell still.

Slowly Tony straightened up and he and Ziva slowly backed out of the room leaving the door open and the light on in case she should wake in the night before they made their way into their own room where they slowly got changed into their pyjamas and lay themselves down. "what are we going to do tomorrow" Ziva asked softly as Tony wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close gently kissing her shoulder "I don't know" he murmured "she isn't going to want to go back to day care I bet", Ziva sighed "she isn't going to want to do much of anything is she" she whispered and she turned her head to look at him "lets see how she is in the morning" he suggested kissing her cheek "then we can decide whether or not we are going to need to take the day off"

Ziva nodded slowly before she slowly rested her head back down and curled up against Tony's warm chest before she closed her eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

XO

A squeal of fright jerked them both from their fitful slumber as another small shriek echoed around they both sat up looking at each other before and then leapt out of the bed running to their daughter's bedroom.

"Tali" Ziva said worriedly as they paused in the doorway to see her curled up under the covers crying softly, slowly she moved over and sat next to her "Tali" she whispered again and touched her back. Tali visibly flinched before she peered out from under the blanket at Ziva and then she let out a small wail of "ima" and held up her arms to her. Instantly Ziva leant forwards and gathered her up against her chest hugging her as she cried "it's ok baby" she whispered "did you have a bad dream" Tali nodded against her chest whimpering miserably.

"oh aheva" Ziva whispered stroking her hair "don't worry it was just a dream" she looked up at Tony as he moved in and knelt in front of them "hey princess" he whispered "don't be afraid it isn't going to hurt you" "it scary" she sobbed "oh I know but it isn't real" Tony whispered "and what isn't real cant hurt you"

Tali stared at him with tears still leaking from her eyes and Tony looked up at Ziva who was staring at him uncertain of what to do, slowly Tony beckoned to her "come on little princess you come sleep in mommy and daddy's room yes" Tali gave a tiny nod. Ziva carefully rose to her feet and carried Tali into their bedroom with Tony where she slowly settled herself on the edge of the bed and rocked Tali gently rubbing her back until her sobs faded to whimpers and sniffles.

Once Tali had settled Ziva carefully lay her down in the middle of the bed and she and Tony lay down on either side of her where they lay trying to comfort her but it was hard when they were struggling to hold themselves together too. It took Tali a while to fall asleep but eventually she did cuddled up tight against Ziva's chest who held her tight gently stroking her hair.

"Ziva" Tony murmured "she will get better, remember what Ducky said, we just have to be patient, she will be fine tomorrow, tonight was bound to be frightening for her". Ziva didn't look convinced as she looked back at Tali and Tony realised she believed him about as much as he believed himself. Slowly he leaned over his sleeping daughter to kiss her lips "try to sleep" he murmured "we wont be sad forever". She gave him an uncertain smile before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with her head resting a top her daughter's.

Sighing Tony rested his head down and placed his hand on Tali's side trying to reassure himself that she was there and that she was safe. He thought back to those hours she had been missing, the terror he had felt was incredible, so strong and he had been so terrified he would never see her again. He found himself wondering all sorts of things; had he been a good father and spent enough time with her, playing with her? Had he hugged her that morning? Had he told her how much she meant to him? Had he told her how much he loved her?

The more he had thought, the more he had panicked and he had somehow convinced himself that this was all his fault. He was Tali's father and he should have been there to protect her, she should always feel safe knowing he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

But he had failed her and now she was no longer his sweet, happy and innocent little princess. She was scared jumpy and nervous and he blamed himself. The guilt he felt was overwhelming him and he had trouble drifting off to sleep because of it. It haunted his dreams so that as he tossed and turned that night dreaming of the warehouse, all he could hear were the sounds of Tali's sobs echoing in his ear.

XO

Gibbs looked up as the elevator doors opened and his face softened when he saw an exhausted looking Tony and Ziva making their way into the bullpen and Tony had Tali in his arms. Slowly he stood up as Tony bent and set Tali on the ground helping her out of her coat "hey sweetpea" he said softly crouching down next to her and she eyed him uncertainly before she moved over and lifted her arms to him, slowly he lifted her up and gave her a big hug relieved that she was ok "how you doing sweetpea" he asked, she mumbled uncertainly "scary man" she whispered.

Gibbs looked at Tony and Ziva and saw that they looked worried "she had a bad dream last night" Tony said softly "woke up shrieking and refused to go back to sleep in her own bed and even when we took her into our bed it took her a long time to go to sleep" Gibbs sighed and kissed Tali's cheek before he set her back down noticing how she moved straight over to Ziva to cling to her leg.

"you two should have taken the day off" he said pointedly "we would of" Ziva said "but she is jumpy at home and we asked her if she would rather come here and she said yes, I think she must feel safer here at the navy yard because she goes through all the security" Gibbs nodded "Ok then" he said "well unless we get another body drop all we have to do is fill in paperwork from the erm incident yesterday". Their faces both darkened at the mention of yesterday but they both nodded and Ziva moved over to her desk with Tali still attached to her leg. Slowly she sat down before allowing Tali to clamber onto her lap and cuddle close as she logged into her computer.

"she has barely let go of us" Tony said softly following Gibbs' gaze "she hates not being close to us". Gibbs clapped him on the shoulder gently " she'll get better Tony, Ziva did and you are the one always telling me how like her mommy Tali is" Tony gave a weak smile "I hope it doesn't take her as long" he murmured before he headed over to his desk.

Throughout the day they did their paperwork and some extra background checks on all the men at the warehouse and even though they tried not too, Gibbs saw Tony and Ziva acting differently. Every time something Tony didn't like the look of came on the TV he would instantly switch channels trying to find something suitable before in the end he gave up and just switched it off as though afraid the sight of anything violent might frighten Tali again. At one point Gibbs also spotted Ziva researching the effect of traumatic events on young children with a worried frown on her face.

Tali moved from lap to lap depending on who was around. Over lunch Gibbs had her sitting on his knee as she drew some pictures with her colouring pencils whilst Tony and Ziva headed off to check in with Abby. When he looked down he studied the pictures "what's that you drawing there sweetpea" he asked and pointed to the smallest stick figure "is that you honey". Slowly Tali nodded "who are all these people" he asked gesturing to all the people around her "the bad men" she mumbled and Gibbs saw McGee look up worried "they bad men" she continued "they scary"

Gibbs looked at the drawing again and all the little stick figures, she had drawn herself like she drew most people with the pink pencil, but the people who surrounded her she had drawn in black, pressing hard so that the lines were deep and firm making the black stand out bold and frightening in contrast to the pale pink of the drawing of herself.

Slowly Gibbs rubbed her shoulder "how about you draw another picture" he suggested pulling another piece of paper out of his printer and handing it too her "but go sit with McGee ok" he said lifting her up and carrying her round to McGee who took her willingly onto his lap and cleared some space on his desk so that she could draw. Then Gibbs took her picture and headed off down to see Ducky.

The elderly medical examiner didn't look surprised to see him, "Jethro" he said "expecting me Duck" he asked "well Anthony and Ziva have already been down today asking about her nightmares, I assumed you wouldn't be far behind them" he looked at Gibbs "how is she" he asked.

As an answer Gibbs placed the drawing on the autopsy table and Ducky looked at it before he picked it up to examine it "I take it this is a drawing of the men who took her" he said and Gibbs nodded "that is her and the scary men who took her" he said looking at him "why is she drawing that Duck" he asked.

Ducky sighed "it isn't uncommon for young children after a traumatic event to do odd things, they often do things like wake in the night and suck their thumbs almost as if they are going back in their development because that is something that comforts them, waking up in the night and knowing that mommy and daddy will come rescue her from the dark, sucking her thumb is her way of comforting herself, none of the symptoms Tony and Ziva have described to me are anything less than normal Jethro"

Gibbs pushed the drawing towards him again and Ducky picked it up "young children are often confused by the traumatic event" he said as he headed over to his desk and Gibbs followed "and they try to make sense of the scary things by drawing what they remember, it is her trying to figure out what happened Jethro, this will be the first of many I assure you, she will draw it because right now everything she thinks of is the scary thing that happened to her"

Gibbs looked at him "so we don't need to be worried" he checked and Ducky shook his head "no, Tali is responding how many children respond and it wont take too long for her to get over it, just let her move on at her own pace" Gibbs nodded and Ducky gave him a look "you look troubled Jethro" he observed "well yeah Duck, a three year old was kidnapped by a group of serial killers and held as leverage and is now struggling to move on as well as her parents" he paused "I am just glad nothing happened to her" he said "I don't think Tony and Ziva would have ever gotten over it"

Ducky looked up at him "what about you" he asked and Gibbs glanced down questioningly "we all know how much Tali means to you" Ducky said "how much she reminds you of Kelly" Gibbs looked away "I don't think I would have got over losing her either" he said softly.

"well you didn't" Ducky said "she is safe ok", Gibbs nodded "thanks Duck" he said and turned to leave "I think it is a good job we have you otherwise Tony and Ziva would be freaking out" he added as he stepped through the doors of autopsy and heard Ducky chuckle from behind.

When he arrived back at the bullpen, Tony and Ziva had returned and were at their desks and Gibbs spotted Tali crouched on the floor beside Ziva's desk playing quietly with her favourite toy farm set and Gibbs was relieved to hear her talking quietly as she played. All around her there were more drawings and Gibbs saw two more of the 'scary men' lying next to her. He looked at Ziva who was watching her daughter play carefully, trying to figure out if she was getting better or not.

Slowly he moved over to his desk and worked until he got a call saying that they could go question Evan Cross now. He took McGee, wanting to give Tony and Ziva some alone time with their daughter.

XO

Cross didn't seem that worried Gibbs noted as they settled themselves down on the other side of the table to him. He just watched them intently, playing with the chains of his cuffs. Slowly Gibbs opened the file he had brought and spread the photos inside across the table.

"do you remember who they are" he asked quietly, keeping his voice even so as not to get mad because part of him wanted to strike Cross so hard it would send him into a coma.

Cross barely glanced at the pictures before he bluntly responded "no". Gibbs looked at the pictures before he selected one and pushed it forward "Petty Officer Aaron Archer, 29, Victim number one, left behind a pregnant wife, he never got to meet his daughter, she was born three days after her father was killed" Cross sighed "what do you think this is going to achieve Agent Gibbs" he asked "Petty Officer Nick Whitman 32, just about to be promoted" Gibbs said sliding another picture forward, Cross yawned pointedly "did you bring me here to bore me to death cus it's working" he said "save the sob stories for someone who cares".

Gibbs clenched his jaw and shoved another photo across the table "Petty Officer Jack Barron, 37, father of two" he said "don't care" Cross said icily but Gibbs continued "Petty Officer Spencer Goodheart, 27, just got engaged" "still don't care" Cross sang. " Petty Officer Stephan Wilkins 37, only child, his mother had to bury him by herself, Petty Officer Samuel Jarvis, 40, single parent to a 15 year old and a 8 year old, both of whom had to be placed into foster care and will probably be separated" Gibbs shouted over him.

Cross glanced at the photos before he leaned forward "still don't care" he repeated, his eyes gleaming and Gibbs snapped and he yanked the last photo out of the file "Ziva DiNozzo" he shouted as he slammed it onto the table "NCIS Special Agent"

He paused staring at the man in front of him who was smirking "mother of a three year old little girl" he added quietly. Cross leaned forward and dragged the photo of Ziva forward studying it, running his fingers over it "I remember her" he said with a smile "she's the sexy agent" he looked back at Gibbs "why are you showing me her" he asked.

"because she was another victim" Gibbs growled and the smirk on Cross' face widened "ah but they are not my victims" he said leaning forward to touch the photos "they are the victims of Alexander Weer" "victims that you and the rest of your crew helped him kill" Gibbs argued "ah but I didn't actually kill them" Cross said leaning back in his chair looking very relaxed and smug "all you have on me is conspiracy to commit murder and aiding and abetting, I'll be out of here soon, maximum 10 years, less if I behave myself"

With that he stood up "thank you for stopping by Agent Gibbs" he said as he moved towards the door "send my best to the sexy agent"

Instantly Gibbs leapt up and moved round the table to grab him and pin him against the wall "who said we were finished" he snarled before he threw Cross back into the chair "we are finished when I say we are finished" he growled bending over him.

He heard McGee in the background assuring the prison guards that everything was ok and that everyone was fine before he closed the door "boss" he said worriedly but Gibbs ignored him "you think that is all I have on you" he snapped "well think again"

He grabbed another file and slammed it onto the table before he opened it and yanked out the pictures of the mass murder at the grocery store, he shoved one of the seven dead victims in front of Cross "they were innocent" he growled "well I didn't kill them" Cross said still looking confident "Weer did"

"oh but you fired the machine gun that smashed the glass and wounded many of them" Gibbs said "that is attempted murder" Cross snorted and looked away "I'll still be out of here soon" he said confidently.

Gibbs glared at him before he slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out another photo and a piece of paper that was folded. He looked at the photo before he gently placed it next to Ziva's "then we have you on the kidnapping of a three year old" he said calmly "oh and don't forget that she is also the daughter of federal agents… Talia Kaitlyn DiNozzo… remember her"

Cross leaned forward to look at the picture of Tali smiling happily, he smirked before he looked back at Gibbs "nope" he said and they could see that he was lying "but she's cute". "are you sure about that" Gibbs asked looking at McGee who stepped forward pulling out a tablet and placing it in front of Cross to show him the footage of Tali's abduction and they both saw Cross tense, he obviously hadn't seen the security camera.

Gibbs paused it on the image of Cross grabbing Tali "that has been positively identified as you" he said quietly "abducting the daughter of two federal agents hmmm that a long sentence right McGee" "minimum of fifteen years boss" McGee said "but usually is life" Cross had gone very still as he stared at the image on the tablet "add in the assault of NCIS Special Agent Dorneget and the other charges and I would say we are looking at two life sentences with no chance in hell at parole" Gibbs said narrowing his eyes at him "what do you have to say to that" he challenged. Cross didn't say anything, he just stared at them "not so cocky now huh" Gibbs breathed "because you know that the other inmates here hate child molesters almost as much as they hate us law enforcement offices"

"hey I didn't touch that kid" Cross protested "I didn't molest her, I never hurt her" "we know that" McGee said "but the other inmates don't and usually if you mention that a child was involved to them they generally arrive at the conclusion of a child molester" Cross glowered at him angrily "but I didn't hurt her" he repeated.

"yes you did" Gibbs said and slowly he unfolded the piece of paper and placed it atop the other pictures. Cross stared at the child's drawing of 'scary men' before he looked at Gibbs who was struggling not to hit him "you traumatised her" he hissed quietly glaring at him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Gibbs stood up and gathered all the pictures up and he placed them in the file "enjoy prison Mr Cross" he said "good luck against the other inmates" and he turned to leave.

Just as they were about to shut the door they heard him shout out "hey I'll make you a deal, I'll give you anything", McGee looked at Gibbs "should we hear what he has to say boss" he asked, Gibbs thought before he shook his head "no" he said "not yet at least "lets let him sit in prison for a bit first, then he might be more forthcoming, plus I want him to suffer" McGee nodded in agreement and shut the door against Cross' protests and they headed out of the prison feeling rather pleased with what they had accomplished.

XO

When they arrived back at the bullpen they stepped out of the elevator to be greeted by the sound of laughing and as they entered they saw that Tali was seated on Tony's lap playing a little game which involved catching tiny plastic balls in the mouth of a hippo. Tony was grinning as he played and Tali was giggling as she grabbed excitedly for the balls and for the first time in a while the light was shining in her eyes again.

"she looks better" Gibbs said to Ziva who was looking delighted to see Tali smiling "she has been getting more and more confident all afternoon" she said with a smile "its like she just decided to forget".

Gibbs smiled and then bent as Tali slipped off Tony's knee and ran at him "hey sweetpea" he said lifting her up to kiss her cheek "what you got there short stuff" he asked seeing a drawing in her hand. she grinned as she showed him and he saw that it was similar to the others.

"scary men" she said pointing them out "mmm" Gibbs said before noticing four other figures on the paper "and who are they" he asked.

Tali smiled as she looked at him before she looked back down at the paper "mommy" she said pointing "daddy… you and McGee" she looked at them all "coming to save me" she said smiling around at them all.

Gibbs felt his heart lift as he looked at the smile and he along with everyone else joined her smiling as they felt their time of pain come to an end.

**Hope you liked it :D**

**I know it was a terrible ending :P**

**Sorry again that it took so long, coursework has been killing me here :P**

**Please let me know what you think and I promise I will try to update sooner**

**Thanks **

**mysticgirl**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hi everyone, I am so sorry about how long this has taken but exams are next month so I have been revising like crazy. Anyway I hope you like this one, it was certainly a sweet chapter to write.**

Chapter 29 – A Mystery he could never solve

A month passed and slowly things returned to normal. Tali became her usual happy chipper little self that got more and more like Ziva every day and had Tony wrapped round her little finger at her complete and utter mercy. It took them a while to convince her to go back to day care but they did in the end though she stoutly refused to go home with anyone except her immediate NCIS family.

It took Tony and Ziva a while to calm down after what happened to her, they became very protective of her and cautious of everything, but eventually they settled down slightly as they watched Tali relax.

Tony arrived home to smile as he heard giggling and he moved into the kitchen to find both Ziva and Tali with their sleeves rolled up and hands buried in dough, he paused to watch them, Ziva was standing their kneading away with her long hair tied back in a messy ponytail from which it was already escaping smiling at Tali who was standing on a stool next to her with a smaller lump of dough frowning as it stuck to her fingers.

"well don't you two look busy" he said as he dumped his bag and coat before he moved round to greet them, Ziva smiled up at him as he moved to wrap his arms around her and she turned her head to kiss him "hey" she greeted "you are home earlier than I thought". He grinned "Gibbs decided to kick us out" he said as he bent to give Tali a kiss on the top of her head "hey princess watcha doin" Tali giggled as she raised her dough covered fingers high in the air "we making pizza" "mmm pizza" he said and turned to look at Ziva who grinned "we thought we would try our fingers at it" _"hand" _he corrected "try your hand at it" she rolled her eyes before she dismissed it "yes well it saves buying it and it is fun right aheva"

"yeah" Tali said eagerly and raised her hands above her head "but mommy the dough stick to my hands" she held out her palms to Ziva who smiled affectionately at her "that is because you need to use more flour little princess" Tony said and he moved round to help her. Carefully he sprinkled more flour over her dough and then had her cover her hands in it before she began to knead at the bread again "better" he asked and Tali nodded "look daddy my hands are white" she giggled happily and Tony chuckled "as is the rest of you little ghost" he said seeing that Tali had somehow managed to cover herself in dough and a lot of flour.

Once the dough was kneaded Ziva brought out two rolling pins and Tony positioned himself behind Tali and carefully helped her role the dough into a round pizza shape "ha ours is rounder than yours Zee" he teased and Ziva rolled her eyes at him.

She watched him help Tali make the pizza smiling at the grin on Tali's face as she sprinkled cheese over it, this was the perfect life she had always dreamed off when she was young, whilst she was fighting. The perfect life she could only dream of because she never thought she would be lucky enough to have.

Once they had carefully stuck the two pizzas in the oven Tali dragged Tony over to fix one of her toys that had broken whilst Ziva wiped the surface down watching Tony fix the toy smiling at the look of concentration on his face.

Once he was done their home made pizza was ready and they quickly served it up and ate together as a family and by the time she was finished Tali was covered in sauce making her parents chuckle and her giggle at them. Laughing Tony scooped her up into his arms and whirled her round in a circle above his head as he carried her into the living room making her squeal in delight "Tony" Ziva chided as she carried the plates over to their dishwasher "remember that she has just eaten" "oh yeah" Tony said as he set her down smiling as she staggered dizzily "careful ninja" he said with a smile before he caught her as she stumbled.

"ok little ninja go play" he said and Tali scampered off towards her bedroom giggling happily. Tony then moved back into the kitchen to where Ziva was standing. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, "so" he murmured into her hair "looking forward to tomorrow", she grinned at him "should I be" she asked in an almost teasing voice as her hands moved up his back stroking his shoulder blades. He smirked before he lowered his head to kiss her, loving the feeling of her lips moulding to his before he pulled away "well it isn't our anniversary every day" he pointed out and her smile widened. It was their anniversary the next day and to be honest with everything that had happened it had snuck up on them until they had noticed earlier that day. Tony couldn't believe that he had had this life for four years

now, that Ziva had been his wife for four years, it was an amazing feeling and he couldn't wrap his head round it. He still expected to wake up and find out that this perfect life he had longed for was nothing more than a dream.

"well I don't think we will be able to get that much done" Ziva commented as they heard a giggle and Tali came shooting out of her room wearing her fairy wings with her arms spread wide. "fly daddy" she cried and Tony chuckled as he bent to lift her, raising him once again above her head causing her to squeal happily "mommy I'm flying" she cried excitedly and Ziva leaned against the counter smiling affectionately at them. "yes my love" she said before she glanced at the clock "maybe you should fly into the bedroom and get ready for bed" she hinted "no I don't want to go to bed" Tali giggled and she grabbed Tony's arms as he brought her back down against his chest "well little fairy everyone has to go to bed, even little princesses" he said and Tali pouted "but I not tired" she tried and Tony smiled at her "ah but you will be when you lie down and close your eyes" he said and he slowly lowered her to the floor "now go put your pyjamas on little ninja" he said and Tali gave a very DiNozzo huff before she moved off to her bedroom.

Tony looked at Ziva "please don't tell me she is getting attitude already" he said and she smiled "lets hope not" she said he smiled at her as he gazed into her eyes "can't believe it has been four years" he murmured and she nodded "it feels like just yesterday" she murmured and their gazes moved to Tali's bedroom door before Tony kissed Ziva's hair gently "well we had better go put the munchkin to bed" he said and Ziva nodded and they both headed over to her bedroom to see her dressed in her pyjamas bouncing on the bed.

"Tali" Ziva warned "no jumping on the bed you could hurt yourself" slowly Tali stopped jumping and sat down smiling innocently in a way that always melted Ziva's heart.

Smiling Ziva moved over and lifted Tali into her arms "now we musn't forget to brush your teeth must we my love" she sad and Tali shook her head as Ziva carried her into the bathroom where she helped her squeeze a tiny amount of toothpaste onto her toothbrush before she watched her scrub at her tiny teeth until they were clean. Once she had finished Tali followed her mother into her bedroom asking her usual one hundred questions to try and delay going to bed.

"Daddy" she asked as Tony came in "why do we have to sleep". Tony grinned at her "to recharge our batteries" he responded as Tali clambered into bed, she giggled at him "daddy we don't have batteries" she said "yes we do" Tony teased "no" she laughed "well we have the human equivalent" he said and Tali laughed as she lay down. smiling affectionately at her Tony tugged the blankets over her tucking her in as Ziva held out Bernie the hippo to Tali who took it and hugged it tightly as her eyelids began to droop.

"Layla Tov tateleh" Ziva whispered and Tali mumbled in response. Smiling Ziva backed out of the room and closed the door softly behind her. She made to turn but was stopped by Tony's arms snaking around her and pulling her close. She closed her eyes happily as she leant against his chest feeling safe and secure in his arms. Then she lifted her head to look into his eyes before she turned so that she could press her lips to his kissing him with the passion that had been building up over the past four years. She felt his arms tighten around her pressing her closer as she caught hold of him.

She smiled into the kiss before she pushed him backwards away from Tali's bedroom. She almost slammed him into the kitchen counter lips still locked. She felt his hands slip down her waist as she dug her nails into his back. A groan slipped from between his lips and he lifted up her shirt tugging it over her head as her fingers scrabbled at his shirt unable to unbutton it fast enough before finally she undid the last button and shoved the shirt off and they both sank to the kitchen floor.

Ziva gasped as they finished shedding each other of their clothes and Tony pressed her against the cool tiles kissing her neck as his hands caressed her skin lovingly. Slowly Ziva pushed herself up grabbing him as they locked lips again and she stroked the back of his neck. They kept their bodies pressed tightly together and their lips locked as they entangled their bodies together. The heat and love rose and their bodies became slick with sweat.

Ziva curved herself into him as their movement became more passionate and their bodies began to move together as she flung her head back allowing him to kiss her neck as his hands roamed across her body.

They were both startled when they heard the sound of a door opening and then a small voice called out "mommy daddy"

Instantly Tony let out a yelp and rolled over taking Ziva with him as they hurriedly untangled themselves. Hurriedly Tony yanked on his trousers as Ziva grabbed her top as Tali came toddling round the corner.

She stared at her parents lying on the kitchen floor before she frowned "mommy daddy what you doing" she asked "I er well um" Tony stammered "nothing Tali just um hugging" Ziva said as she brushed her hair out of her eyes "what is it tateleh" Tali frowned at her semi naked parents obliviously before she turned solemn "monster in my wardrobe" she said.

Ziva sighed and looked at Tony "I told you she was too young to watch _Monster's Inc_" she said and Tony grinned sheepishly before he staggered to his feet "ok my ninja come with daddy and I will show you that there are no monsters in the cupboard waiting to scare you" he bent and lifted Tali up into his arms and carried her back to her room whilst Ziva quickly gathered the remaining items of clothes up and hurried into their room blushing at the fact that she and Tony had been caught naked by their nearly four year old daughter.

She settled herself on her side of the bed and waited hoping that Tali wouldn't dwell on the fact that her parents had been 'cuddling' on the kitchen floor without any clothes on.

When Tony came in a few minutes later having convinced Tali that there were no monsters in the wardrobe he looked just as mortified as she felt. Slowly he clambered into the bed groaning. "I cant believe that just happened" he said "I mean if she hadn't called out she might even have actually walked in on us… esh". Ziva smiled weakly "maybe we should keep the 'hugging' to a minimum" she suggested and he nodded glumly.

Ziva looked at him before she smiled slyly "or maybe" she breathed as she slowly crawled over and clambered on top of him so that she was straddling him "we only do it in the bedroom"

Tony grinned as he caught hold of her and yanked her down into a kiss. "now I like that idea a bit more" he murmured once they had pulled apart and Ziva smiled widely. "care to pick up where we left off" he asked.

She didn't answer him, she just tugged her top off and threw it aside before she leaned down and locked their lips again as he kicked of his trousers.

She broke away to look into his eyes before she smiled "I love you Tony" she whispered "you are my soul mate". He smiled back as he stroked her hair clear of her face before he gently proclaimed "ani ohevet otakh Ziva" he paused to kiss her before he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered "my soul mate".

They locked lips again before they proceeded to make love. A love so passionate and so undeniable that only soul mates could make.

XO

Much to their relief the next day passed quickly with no new cases so Ziva spent most of her day doing paperwork whilst Tony headed out with Gibbs to conduct final interviews and Ziva noticed they spent a lot of time just talking, muttering under their breath to each other causing her to frown but she dismissed it after a while wanting to finish the paper work.

They got off work early much to their delight so they headed straight to the day care to pick Tali up before they headed to their apartment. Once they had arrived Tali shot straight over to her toys in the living room whilst Tony made a beeline for her room. Confused Ziva followed to fine him packing a bag. "what are you doing" she asked and Tony looked up with a smile "well I thought we could do something special for our anniversary" he explained "and to be honest it wasn't that hard to find a babysitter" Ziva smirked "so why are you packing a bag for Tali" she asked and he grinned "Gibbs offered to let her stay at his house" he said "and after what happened last night I thought that might not be such a bad idea" Ziva grinned "so does that mean we have the whole apartment to ourselves" she checked wrapping her arms around him, "yep" he said grinning at her.

At that moment there was a knock on the door and smiling they headed over to open it as Tali scrambled up to rush over. Gibbs smiled when they opened the door and he instantly bent down to lift Tali into his arms. "hey sweetpea" he said kissing her cheek "you ready" "yeah" she exclaimed excited and Ziva smiled at her daughter as Tony handed over the bag "lots of toys and DVDs in there" he said "so have fun".

Gibbs smiled again "oh we will wont we sweetpea" he said as he handed Tali over to Ziva so that she could say her goodbye. He looked at his agents "you two have fun yourselves "oh we plan too" Tony said with a grin wrapping one arm around Ziva who smiled as she kissed Tali goodbye before handing her back to Gibbs. They waved them down the hall before Tony closed the door and locked it.

Slowly he turned to her "so what do you want to do now" he asked and Ziva tauntingly grabbed a handful of his shirt and dragged him towards the bedroom. He didn't need that much encouragement.

XO

It was an hour later that found them sprawled across the bed tangled in the sheets cuddled in each others arms with Ziva tracing patterns across Tony's bare chest.

They lay there content for a while before Tony murmured "we should get dressed" and Ziva looked up at him "we have reservations" he explained. "we do" Ziva said "where". He winked at her "surprise" he said and she stuck her tongue out playfully at him before they slowly sat up and clambered out of the bed.

Slowly Tony moved over to their wardrobe and rifled through it before he grinned and pulled out a dress "would you do me the honour of allowing me to see you in this dress again" Ziva smiled as she took the long jade green dress from him that she remembered wearing briefly when they had first gone undercover together as the married assassins. She slowly slipped it on and brushed her long dark hair back out of her eyes and then down her back before she reapplied her makeup.

Once she was satisfied with how she looked she turned to find that Tony was staring at her "what" she asked and he smiled "nothing" he said softly as he moved forward and wrapped his arms around her "you just look beautiful" he said softly. Ziva smiled as she hugged him "how did I get so lucky" he asked softly and she felt her smile widen before she pulled away to look him up and down "you don't look too bad yourself stud" she commented and he winked at her before he looked around.

"have you seen my watch" he asked and Ziva cast her eye around the bedroom "no" she said "where was the last place you saw it", he pulled a face to think "erm I had it when we got in, ah I took it off when I was packing for Tali". Ziva rolled her eyes at him "I will get it" she said at the same time his phone rang "you get that" she finished before she slipped out and headed into their daughters room.

Sure enough Tony's watch was resting on the dresser in Tali's room and shaking her head exasperated Ziva quickly picked it up and turned to leave. That was when something caught her eye and she turned and groaned when she spotted Bernie sitting next to Tali's pillow. She reached for the toy and sighed, no way was Tali going to settle for Gibbs if she didn't have her beloved Bernie.

Tony came in then holding the phone "um Ziva Tali forgot" he trailed off when he saw her holding the hippo and he smiled sheepishly "oops" he said and she shook her head exasperated. "well I suppose we could drop it off on our way past" Tony said "so we should probably leave about nowish" she nodded "let me just grab a coat" she said and she slipped back into their room and found her coat and slipped her feet into the silver sandals before she joined Tony at the door.

He smiled at her before he held out his arm and smiling back she took it and slowly they walked out of the apartment.

Once they were in the car and Tony was driving Ziva looked down at the toy in her lap "I cant believe you forgot to pack this of all things" she said looking at him and he grinned sheepishly "at least Gibbs noticed now rather than in a few hours" he said and she nodded as she looked back down and she gently stroked the toy before she looked at Tony again "so where are we going" she asked and he grinned "still a surprise" he said and she grumbled under her breath "will I like it" she asked and he glanced over at her "I really hope so" he said seriously before he winked.

When they arrived at Gibbs house there were no lights on which made Ziva frown as she stepped out of the car "did they go out" she asked and Tony shrugged "they are probably just in the basement" he said as they walked up to the front door and he slowly pushed it open.

"Gibbs" he called as he stepped in "Tali", there was no answer and Ziva frowned as she headed over to the basement door and opened it to find it black "Gibbs" she called uncertainly just in case but there was still no response. Fighting back the sense of unease she turned back to see Tony come down the stairs "not up there" he said slowly looking around "lets check outback"

Slowly they headed over to the back door and slowly Tony opened it and gently pushed Ziva through at the same time bright lights flashed on and she started in surprise before an amazed gasp slipped out of her.

Gibbs' back yard had been transformed from the usual tip that it had been to a beautiful green lawn. Above them strung from the house to the tree at the back was a string of lights over two rows of chairs.

And standing in front of those rows of chairs were her friends and family all dressed in smart clothes and all grinning at her. Vance and his family. Ducky, Palmer and Breena, McGee with his arm around Abby. A few other people that they knew. And most importantly; Gibbs with a giggling Tali in his arms.

Ziva stared at them all in surprise before she turned to Tony who was smiling at her. "Tony" she breathed "what is this", slowly he reached out and took her hand "this is our wedding" he said softly "the wedding we didn't have four years ago because it was such a huge secret, this year I am giving you the beautiful wedding that you deserve".

Ziva stared at him before she smiled a huge smile and she flung her arms around him hugging him tightly feeling him gather her up into his arms and hug her tightly "Tony" she whispered "this is amazing how did you do all this" she pulled away to look at him as he chuckled "been planning it for months really, a asked Gibbs to help and he volunteered to have it here for us, today we weren't out conducting final interviews, we were getting things ready here. We really thought you would have guessed it" she grinned "I honestly had no clue" she said with a smile and he gently kissed her forehead before they turned to grin at everyone.

Ziva smiled as she bent to greet Tali who came running over as Gibbs set her down squealing "surprise ima" she laughed as she hugged her tightly "thank you my love" she said softly before Tali pulled away "did we surprise you" she asked and Ziva nodded "yes my love you all surprised me" and Tali beamed happily.

Ziva looked at her then and realised that she was wearing a beautiful little dress. It was white and it came down to her knees but it had a gold ribbon round the middle and little gold flowers round the hem. Her long dark hair hung down her back with the front pulled out of her eyes and with tiny little flowers dotted amongst the curls.. "don't you look beautiful my Tali" she said and Tali grinned toothily "I a bride maid" she said and Ziva laughed gently.

She stood up to hug Gibbs as he came over dressed in a smart suit "thank you" she whispered as he hugged her tightly and he chuckled "don't thank me" he said "it was all Tony's idea"

He pulled away to look at her "well we had better get you ready" he said and she looked at him questioningly at the same time Abby bounced over "come on" she sang "lets get you in the dress I cant wait to see how it looks on you I chose it myself" Ziva laughed as she was yanked back into the house and up the stairs looking over to see Tony being ushered into another room by McGee to get ready "don't worry you'll see him soon" Abby said as she dragged her into one of the bedrooms where a large dress bag was hanging. "Tony hasn't even seen this yet" she said happily and Ziva smiled as she slipped forward after her eager to see the dress.

XO

It was half an hour later when Abby and Breena stepped back to admire their handiwork "well Ziva Tony is a lucky guy" Abby said grinning "he is going to pass out when he sees you" Ziva smiled "maybe I should change" she joked making them both laugh "oh this is going to be the most amazing wedding ever" Abby half squealed and Ziva looked at her "you do know we are already married right" she said "well I didn't get to see the first one so I am counting this as the first" Abby said and Ziva laughed as the door opened and Tali came running in "grandpa says ready when you are" she said excitedly before she stopped to look at her mother.

She cocked her head to the side studying her before she looked up and grinned "mommy look very pretty" she said and Ziva smiled "thank you aheva" she said before she looked at Breena and Abby "thank you" she said gratefully and they both nodded before Breena headed down the stairs to tell them all that they were nearly ready. Slowly Ziva stood and hugged Abby tightly before she looked at her "will you be my maid of honour" she asked and Abby's face split into a Cheshire cat grin "of course" she said with a small squeal "I thought you'd never ask" and Ziva laughed. "now do you want to see what you look like" Abby asked and she nodded before she moved over to the mirror in the corner where she stopped and stared at her reflection.

She barely recognised her reflection. It wasn't something she had ever expected to see; The sight of her in a wedding dress. But she was and she had to admit, Abby had chosen the perfect dress.

It was a simple column dress that clung to her slender figure, fitting her perfectly, the bodice was slightly roached with a sweetheart neckline, there were beads at the low neckline, twisting carefully down to her hip where there was a beaded diamond, there was a gentle train, but it wasn't very long, the back was low – just below her shoulder blades but still modest, the fabric was soft and comfortable, she gazed at her refection, she felt so different and she looked so different but not so much that she didn't feel like herself and she was happy about that, this dress really was perfect.

She didn't have much make up on, Abby said she didn't need it and she agreed As for her hair, they had left it down; Abby had done it similarly to Tali's; pulling the front back out of her eyes and tightening the curls and placing tiny silver flowers dotted amongst them. She was wearing dangly diamond earrings with a delicate diamond necklace around her neck.

She stared at her refection for a very long time before she turned to smile at Abby who was waiting anxiously before her reaction and she smiled again "Abby it is perfect" she breathed "I love it, thank you so much" and Abby beamed "well then" she said "are you ready to get married to Tony… again" she added and Ziva laughed "definitely" she said and slowly she picked up the flowers and followed Tali and Abby down the stairs.

As she descended she saw Gibbs waiting in the living room. He looked up when he heard them coming down and his eyes softened as he saw her. She smiled at him as she moved over and very gently he kissed her forehead "Ziver you look beautiful" he murmured and she smiled again before she looked up at him "thank you aba" she whispered and she saw his eyes shine gently "will you give me away" she asked and he smiled again "of course" he said softly and she took his arm before they slowly made their way through the house after Tali who was clutching Abby's hand.

She heard some music start and she briefly ducked her head and took a deep breath before she looked up ignoring the faces of everyone else, searching for the one face she wanted to see.

He was standing right where he should be, dressed in a tux that made him look amazing with McGee – his best man standing next to him grinning. He was smiling proudly at Tali as she moved down the aisle with Abby, love and devotion in his eyes.

Then they moved up and saw her and Ziva saw his eyes widen and then light up as he took in what she was wearing and his jaw dropped, and he stared in delight as though unable to believe it. Ziva grinned at him and as she saw him grin back and all of her worries disappeared. It felt like an age before she finally reached the altar at the end of the small aisle to stand with Tony. She turned to look at Gibbs and he gently kissed her forehead murmuring "I am proud of you Ziver" she smiled back at him and then he went to sit down, smiling proudly.

The service began and Ducky was carrying it out though Ziva would never know when he had become able to wed them but she wasn't really listening, she was too busy gazing into the clear greenie gold eyes that she loved, he was smiling at her lovingly, holding her hand gently, then he turned away from her and recited after Ducky "I Anthony DiNozzo take thee Ziva David to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow", she grinned at him before reciting the same vows

"I Ziva David take thee Anthony to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow", she saw Abby grin from where she stood with Tali before she gently urged her forward and grinning at her parents Tali slipped forward and held out the rings they had entrusted to her. Smiling Tony bent to take then and he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before he straightened up.

He smiled at Ziva before he raised her hand and proclaimed "I give you this ring to wear with love and joy. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my wife this day and forevermore. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours" she smiled and watched as he carefully slid the ring onto her finger, binding her to him, she took the other ring and carefully slid it onto his finger whilst saying "This ring I give to you as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your wife. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours"

Glancing over she saw that Abby now appeared to be crying from where she stood and even McGee was grinning. She looked back at Tony delight filling her up and visible in his eyes too as Ducky let out a gentle laugh and pronounced "I now pronounce you husband and wife"

She let out a delighted laugh and flung herself at Tony and kissed him happily. She heard whoops and laughs from the assembled audience as they stayed locked in their kiss, not feeling the need to break apart until they had no air left. Slowly they separated and she stared back into his eyes, before giving another laugh, and watching him laugh too, she felt the warmth in her chest expand, yes she was happy, so undeniably happy.

They turned to see their friends and family all standing applauding, and she grinned at them all before she looked over to see Tony bend and lift Tali up into his arms setting her on one hip as he pulled her close with the other arm and they smiled at everyone before they smiled at Palmer as he stepped forward with a camera.

Slowly they took pictures with everyone before taking group shots which took a while. Then Gibbs brought out some tables and some food and they all settled down to eat.

Once they were finished Tony stood up clearing his throat and everyone looked at him expectantly and he grinned. "well" he said "thank you all for coming and for helping me with this wonderful surprise" everyone grinned "everyone always says that our job is to solve mysteries and that we are really good at it, but there is one mystery that I have never been able to solve" he slowly looked down at Ziva who smiled "and that is how the hell did I get so lucky as to have you as my wife" everyone including Ziva laughed.

"Ziva I have loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you, I love everything about you, your beauty, your strength, how even after all these years you still cant get the hang of our American isms" again everyone laughed "I love you with all that I am" he continued "because you are all that I am and I will always love you, no matter what" Ziva smiled at him and took his hand as he grinned before he looked over and grinned "and I love you for giving me our adorable little lovebug" he said "come here ninja" grinning Tali scrambled down from her seat and ran over so he could lift her up again "you gave me the greatest gift ever Ziva and there is no way I can repay you" he said smiling at Tali "thank you for our beautiful daughter who though I have to say is getting a little bit too cheeky and curious and is making me think I should put a lock on the inside of our door" Ziva reddened as everyone else realised what he meant and burst out laughing.

Smiling Tony looked around before he lifted his glass "To family" he proclaimed and everyone lifted their own glasses "to family" they echoed.

Some music started then and Tony dragged Ziva out over to a makeshift dance floor, she laughed and rested her head affectionately on his shoulder as they slowly waltzed round and round, for a while "I love you" Tony murmured into her hair and Ziva smiled "I love you too Tony" she whispered "and I always will" he smiled "as will I" he responded. They danced on their own for a bit staring into each others eyes before they were joined by other couples including Vance and his wife, Palmer and Breena and McGee and Abby and all the couples danced content in their lovers' arms.

The party soon sped up and soon everyone was dancing with everyone, when she finally could dance no longer Ziva collapsed in a chair and looked around at everyone happily, dancing and celebrating, and she smiled at them all before she spotted a sight that made her smile widen. Tony with Tali in his arms dancing round and round with her a huge grin on his face as he whirled her round listening to her laugh in delight.

Things certainly hadn't gone how she had imagined them too, but she sure loved how they were; now her family really was complete and she had willingly bound herself to the man that she loved and was ready to spend the rest of her life with him, happy and in love, starting the next chapter of their lives. Together.

**Haha hope you liked it. I loved writing it.**

**Please let me know what you think, I promise that if I get lots of reviews I will try to update again soon.**

**Thanks **

**Mysticgirl**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hi everyone. Oh my gosh I am so sorry about how long this has taken. It is exam period here and I have been studying every second of the day. I struggled to find time to write so I apologise if this seems a little rushed. I just felt so bad about how long it has been. Anyway hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 29 - TLC

"Daddy" Ziva heard Tali squeal as she and Gibbs arrived back at the bullpen "found you daddy" she stepped out of the elevator only to nearly get cannoned over by Tony as he came running past. A few seconds later Tali came rushing after him laughing loudly as she chased after her father, her pigtails bouncing against her back.

Ziva let out an exasperated sigh "sometimes I really wonder which one of them is the child" she said and Gibbs chuckled as they headed into their bullpen where McGee was sat typing away trying to ignore the shrieks and laughs as was the rest of the workers on their floor.

Tony came rushing round from behind the stairs then and jogged into the bullpen. "hey Zee" he said as he skidded to a stop "did you talk to the commander" Ziva nodded "he was very unforthcoming until we showed him his bank details and told him what we had on him, then he was very cooperative"

Tony grinned and then chuckled as Tali pounced on him wrapping her arms around his legs "got you daddy" she giggled and Tony laughed "yeah you did little ninja" he said "good job" Tali laughed excitedly before she grinned at Ziva "hi mommy" she said excitedly and rushed round her father with her arms held up so that Ziva could scoop her up. "Hey baby is daddy playing with you" "yeah" Tali said excitedly "hide and seek". Ziva rolled her eyes and looked at Tony who grinned sheepishly.

"Well you can stop playing DiNozzo I want you to run down the name Harvey Lincoln" Gibbs said "on it boss" Tony said and headed back to his computer "Ziver go give Abby the evidence" "on it boss" Tali piped up giving a little salute making everyone laugh "that's my girl" Tony said proudly as still laughing Ziva headed towards the elevator with Tali skipping along next to her. She looked very cute today in a little denim blue skirt and a sweet green top. With her long brown hair in pigtails and Bernie tucked under her arm she looked very sweet and innocent.

When they arrived at Abby's lab Tali rushed ahead calling "Abby Abby" and the young scientist turned round with a grin "heey cutie" she said switching off her music before she bent to scoop Tali into her arms "hiya" she said and Tali giggled "hiya" she mimicked.

Still smiling Abby turned to look at Ziva "hi" she said "you got evidence for me" "yes" Ziva said as she set the box she was carrying down "this is all from the commander's car, and we think this could be our possible weapon" she said as Abby set Tali down and moved over to see the blood stained knife lying in the box. Abby nodded "great" she said signing the chain of evidence list before she smiled at Ziva "you got work to do" she asked and Ziva nodded "want me to keep Tali for a bit" she offered "she can play on my computer"

Ziva smiled "that sounds great Abby thanks" she said and bent to Tali as she came rushing out of Abby's office with both Bernie and Bert under her arm "hey my sweetheart" she said "you going to stay with Abby whilst mommy and daddy work" Tali nodded eagerly "ok then" Ziva said smiling "be good honey" Tali smiled innocently "I always good ima" she said and Ziva kissed the top of her head "that's what everyone tells us" she said smiling as she stood up. "Thanks Abby" she said "see you in a couple of hours yes" Abby nodded "bye Ziva" she called and Ziva heard her say to Tali "so what shall we do first".

Ziva smiled as she stepped back into the elevator and pressed the button for their floor. As she felt the elevator rise she allowed her mind to wonder. In just under a week Tali would be four years old. Ziva couldn't believe how much time had flown by; Tali was growing up so fast, everyday she learnt something new. She asked hundreds of questions about anything and everything desperate to learn. She still had everyone here wrapped round her little fingers. Everyone adored her, especially Gibbs. Tali was the only one who could make Gibbs do whatever she wanted. It was one of her many talents.

When she arrived back at the bullpen McGee, Gibbs and Tony were all standing in front of the monitor. "do we have something new" she asked "well Harvey Lincoln certainly has a lot of priors" Tony said "and Mc-Money-Trace says that he is in extreme debt and that our victim Lieutenant George Owen owed him a lot of money" "who is he in debt to McGee" Gibbs asked and McGee's fingers flew across the keys "well boss apparently he owed a lot of money to gamblers" he said peering at the screen "uh oh" Tony said "that never ends well" "yeah especially not for our victim when he can't pay up" Gibbs said "McGee put a trace on his phone, we will bring him in in the morning" "on it boss" McGee said.

They worked hard, tracing down leads, finding out as much as they could about their victim's life until they heard a ding and looked up as they heard "Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs" to see Abby hurrying into the bullpen with Tali right behind her "what ya got Abs" Gibbs asked looking up before he raised his eyebrows at Tali "huh look at you sweetpea" he said and Tali giggled excitedly before she ran towards Ziva "mommy look I got coat like Abby's" she said excitedly and Ziva let out a small laugh "I see that aheva" she said "did Abby give that to you" "yep" Abby said grinning at Tali "she's my mini me now aren't you Tali" "yeah" Tali said excitedly spinning round in her little labcoat excitedly.

Tony had to admit she looked pretty cute in it, with _'Tali DiNozzo'_ embroidered across the pocket over her heart and her hair still in its pigtails and Bernie under her arm. Abby grinned from where she stood clutching her tablet with Bert under her arm. "What ya got Abs" Gibbs said again and Abby turned her attention back to him. "hair" she said and Gibbs looked at her "bit more detail" he asked "female hair" she said showing him the picture of a long thin strand of hair "it was on the outside of his shirt, but here's the kicker" she grinned again "it does not belong to Lieutenant Owen's wife so that means…" "He was having an affair" Gibbs finished "good job Abs" she grinned pleased with her self.

Gibbs looked at the time "right head home" he said "we will locate his mistress first thing in the morning ok" everyone nodded and stood up. Abby moved over and helped Tali out of her lab coat so that so that she could take it back down to her lab. And she gave Tali a hug "see you soon cutie" she gushed as Tali giggled.

"oh Abby" Tony called and Abby spun round "is she wearing a dog collar" he asked looking at Tali as he crouched in front of his daughter "oops yeah that's mine she wanted to try it on" Abby said and quickly took it off. "ok" Tony said "lab coat very cute, dog collar not so sure" he gave Abby a pointed look "there had better not be any tattoos on their way" he said sternly and Abby pouted "aw spoilsport" she whined before she hurried off back to her lab.

Tony looked back at Tali who was eying him curiously "what" he asked "you tough to Abby" she said "mm hmm" he said and Ziva laughed "you are such a softie with her Tony she is probably wondering what has gotten into you" Gibbs chuckled "very true Ziver" he said as he shrugged into his jacket. It was Tony's turn to pout as he picked up his stuff.

Gibbs smirked at his agents as he moved round to scoop Tali up into a big hug "night night sweetpea" he said "ni ni" she mumbled wrapping her little arms around him hugging him tightly. He smiled as he pulled away to look at her as she stared back at him with her bright greenie gold eyes bright and curious. "see you soon yeah" he said and she nodded before she held out her arms to Ziva who took her daughter hugging her close "see you tomorrow Gibbs" she said and he nodded "see you" he said and watched as she carried Tali towards the elevator with Tony. Tali rested her head on her mother's shoulder and watched him before she lifted her hand and waved tiredly. Smiling he waved back until they were in the elevator and the doors were closing.

He turned back to the bullpen to find McGee finishing packing up his stuff. "Night boss" he called as he shouldered his bag and Gibbs nodded his goodbye as he sat down at his desk to shut down his computers. As McGee left though he paused and reached into his desk drawer to pull out a small tattered photo. He unfolded it and stared at the frozen image of Shannon and Kelly savouring their features. "I miss you guys" he murmured looking at the date on his desk calendar "can't believe how long it has been since I last saw you. I miss you every day, but especially today. The anniversary of the day I … lost you" he faltered and ran his finger over their smiling faces before he sighed and gently placed the picture in his wallet at placed it in his pocket.

Slowly he stood up shrugging into his jacket before he turned off his desk lamp and headed to the elevator thinking as he rode it down. He did miss Shannon and Kelly a lot but he didn't feel sad now. He had his family here, Tim, Tony, Abby, Ziva and now Tali. Yes he still thought about his wife and daughter every day. But now it didn't pain him, all thanks to his agents, who now fulfilled the void that had been left by Shannon and Kelly.

XO

Ziva looked up from her computer as she heard the sound of the movie ending and smiled at the sight of Tony sprawled across the sofa with Tali lying across his chest thumb in mouth as she struggled to stay awake.

"Bedtime little ninja" Tony said and Ziva closed her laptop ready for the usual battle to get Tali to bed. She was surprised however when Tali just nodded and slid off Tony's lap and toddled off towards her bedroom already in her pyjamas with her teeth brushed.

Tony stared after her looking just as shocked as she felt before he turned to look at her questioningly. Ziva frowned and stood up heading towards Tali's bedroom. "Tali" she called softly as she stepped into the room where she was surprised to see her daughter already curled up under the covers hugging Bernie tightly. She frowned again before she moved into the room and sat on the edge of her daughter's bed. "Tali are you ok baby" she asked gently reaching out to tuck a few curls behind one of Tali's ears. Tali nodded numbly "sleepy" she mumbled and her eyelids fluttered "want to sleep".

Slowly Ziva reached out and placed her hand over Tali's forehead and bit her lip when she realised that her daughter had a slight temperature. "Alright my darling you go to sleep" she whispered and kissed her daughter's cheek gently before she tucked her in and quickly backed out of the room closing the door behind her softly.

She turned to look at Tony who was watching her questioningly "she ok" he asked and she shrugged "she has a slight temperature but not a serious one; I hope she hasn't caught that flu that seems to be going round the day care". Tony pulled a face "I hope not too" he said "apparently it is really nasty" Ziva nodded as she looked back at Tali's door. "Well we won't know until morning" Tony said trying to sound positive, "let's let her sleep and hopefully it is just a passing thing". Ziva nodded and smiled as he patted the seat next to him and she moved forward to join him, curling her legs up underneath her as she leaned against him.

They cuddled up together hopping through the channels on TV chattering aimlessly about the case until it was late and they slowly crawled into bed. Once she was ready Ziva reclaimed her position with her head on Tony's chest gently drawing circles on his chest as he stroked her hair until eventually they both fell still and drifted off to sleep.

XO

Call it a mother's instinct, or what remained of her Mossad training but Ziva knew when she woke up what something wasn't wrong. She lay still for a few minutes before she frowned listening hard. She heard a tiny noise and slowly sat up trying not to wake Tony who grunted in his sleep shifting as he felt her leave the bed.

She quietly opened the door and looked around before she moved over to Tali's room and pushed open the door. "Tali" she called softly before she stopped and stared.

Tali was lying on her side with the blankets kicked off of her whimpering and writhing in discomfort. She cuddled Bernie close for comfort as she rolled about making tiny crying noises. Instantly Ziva moved into the room and sat next to her daughter "Tali" she said gently "hey baby shh it's ok". Tali rolled onto her back and looked up at her "ima" she whimpered as she stared up at her mother with tear filled eyes "I feel icky".

"Oh baby its ok" Ziva whispered as she opened her arms so that Tali could sit up and crawl into her embrace and cuddle against her chest. She gently placed her hand against Tali's forehead and was alarmed when she realised how hot her daughter's skin was.

"Ziva"

She looked up to see Tony moving into the room looking concerned. Slowly he knelt down in front of them "hey my princess" he said softly "you ok honey". Tali whimpered and shook her head looking up at him miserably. Tony looked at Ziva who sighed "she has a really high temperature" she said worriedly "she is burning up really bad". Tony bit his lip looking at Tali worriedly as she whimpered again "tummy hurt" she cried "it hurt mommy".

Ziva began to whisper gently to her in Hebrew as she rocked her gently trying to calm her. "I'll see if I can find her some medicine" Tony said standing up and moving quickly out of Tali's room as Ziva continued to whisper to Tali stroking her hair gently before she placed her cool hand over Tali's forehead trying to soothe her.

When Tony came back he had some children's medicine and he gently encouraged Tali to take it much to her disgust as it 'tasted yucky' according to her. "Come on sweetheart" he coaxed "it will make you feel better". Tali whined in protest before she grudgingly took it pulling faces the entire time before she let out another wail and Ziva kissed the top of her head. "Come here ninja" Tony said gently and she lifted her arms so that he could gather her against his chest whimpering miserably as she cuddled close.

Slowly Tony walked her out of her bedroom trying to comfort her as she cried. Ziva followed "one of us should stay off work today" she said "she is in no state to be anywhere but here" Tony nodded "you stay" he said "I think she could do with some motherly TLC… Tender Loving Care" he added seeing the bemused look on her face.

Ziva nodded with a small smile and headed over to the phone quickly dialling Gibbs' number.

"_Ziver" _he greeted sounding wide awake even though it was still very early.

"Gibbs" she said "I cannot come into work today"

"_Why" _he asked sounding concerned _"is everything ok" _

"No" she said with a sigh "Tali is not very well, she has a very high temperature and is crying that her tummy hurts, there has been this bug going round the day care recently, I worry that she might have caught that"

"_Is she ok" _Gibbs asked concerned and Ziva sighed again looking at Tali still clinging to Tony crying miserably. "not really no" she said "she is clinging to Tony now crying her eyes out"

"_Do you want Tony to stay off as well" _Gibbs asked and Ziva looked at her husband and relayed Gibbs' question to him. He pondered it looking down at Tali before he sighed "I'll go in" he said "we got some good leads yesterday that we need to follow through but I'll call at lunchtime and if you need me to come home I will yeah" Ziva nodded and informed Gibbs of his choice.

"_Ok" _their boss said _"take care Ziver, give Tali lots of cuddles and love, that is what she needs"_

Ziva smiled "will do Gibbs thank you, good luck with the case"

Once she hung up she looked at Tony "ok baby lets lie you down" he said gently and he gently placed Tali on the couch lying her down. She mumbled in distaste before she shuffled around trying to get comfortable still clinging to her hippo. Ziva found an soft blanket and gently placed it over Tali tucking her in before she slipped into the bedroom where Tony was getting ready for work. "you going to be ok" he asked and she nodded "I am sure I will be" she said smiling weakly and he kissed her gently "call me if you need anything" he said "I mean it, don't go out with her, if you need medicine or something call and I will dash out to get it ok" she nodded and quickly changed into some loose clothes that were comfortable to lie around in.

Tony quickly bolted down some breakfast whilst Ziva found the children's channel on the TV and settled Tali watching some show about a pig called Peppa.

"I'll call later ok" Tony said "to see how she is". Ziva nodded "good luck with the case" she said and he nodded before he slipped into the living room and crouched in front of Tali. "hey little princess daddy has to go to work now" he said stroking her hair as she looked up at him tiredly "can I have a hug" he asked and Tali nodded pushing herself into a sitting position so that she could wrap her arms around his neck hugging him tightly as he hugged her.

"Ok baby I'll see you later ok" he said "feel better yes". Tali nodded as he straightened up and she snuggled back under her blanket returning her gaze to the TV as her thumb slipped into her mouth. Tony scooped up his back and grabbed his coat moving quickly to the door. He paused to give Ziva a quick kiss before he unlocked the door and slipped out.

Ziva slowly locked the door after him and turned back to Tali. She moved over and sat next to her daughter "do you want something to eat baby" she asked. Tali shook her head mumbling "how about some water" Ziva said "you need to drink lots when you feel icky Tali". Tali just mumbled again before falling silent. Slowly Ziva moved over to the kitchen and filled one of Tali's Sippy cups with water and placed it next to her daughter "drink that my love" she said gently before she stepped back to fetch her laptop.

She settled herself on the other sofa and began to research Tali's symptoms. They all seemed to match those of the illness going round at the moment and Ziva was concerned that there were others that Tali had not contracted yet such as coughing, aching and vomiting. She glanced over and saw that Tali had fallen asleep under her blankets looking slightly more peaceful but still uncomfortable.

Leaving her to sleep Ziva researched on and soon became sure that Tali had contracted Norovirus which was what the day care carers had suspected. There wasn't much medicine that could help. All the websites just said to keep the children well hydrated.

"ima"

Ziva looked up to see Tali sitting up looking worried "ima I feel icky" she said "I know baby I know" Ziva whispered as she stood up and moved over to her daughter. Just as she was approaching she saw Tali's whole body jerk as she heaved.

Instantly she grabbed a bowl from the coffee table and held it out just in time for Tali to throw up in it. Quickly Ziva manoeuvred herself onto the sofa cradling her daughter as she threw up retching loudly. She gently pulled Tali's hair out of her face whispering gently to her until she was finished. "Shh it's ok" she whispered as Tali looked up at her confused. Then her eyes filled with tears and she began to cry loudly. "Hey it's ok" Ziva whispered cradling Tali close "its ok baby it's alright you are going to be fine aheva I promise" Tali just continued to cry loudly and miserably and Ziva held her tight trying to reassure her that it was ok.

Once Tali had calmed herself slightly Ziva carried her into the bathroom and cleaned her up, changing her into a clean set of pyjamas before she carried her back to the sofa and she quickly disposed of the vomit and found an old tub which she placed next to her daughter. "Have something to drink aheva" she whispered holding out the cup and slowly Tali had a few sips before she pushed it away. And cuddled against Ziva's chest mumbling looking very sorry for herself. Ziva thought quickly wanting to distract her daughter so she gently said "would you like a story aheva". Tali looked up and nodded almost eagerly never saying no to a story.

Ziva smiled "lets go choose some then" she said and picked Tali back up and carried her into her bedroom and over to the bookcase. She allowed Tali to choose a handful of stories before she carried her back into the living room and they both settled down under the blanket.

Ziva read story after story to her little daughter reading them the way Tali loved it, where she would use different voices for each character and she was relieved to hear Tali giggle as she read her way through the stack of stories. After a good few stories though Ziva realised that Tali had fallen silent and she looked down to see that she had fallen asleep cuddled tight against her. Ziva smiled and pressed her lips to the top of her daughter's head gently feeling her forehead and she was relieved to find out that Tali's temperature seemed to have gone down slightly.

She lay there cuddling Tali close for a while lost in her own thoughts, thinking about memories of Tali when she was happy and smiling, especially when she had been a baby when she had been innocent to everything. Just then the phone rang and Ziva quickly slid out from under Tali and lunged for it desperate for it not to wake Tali after she had taken so long to fall asleep. "Hello" she said quietly.

"_Hey" _Tony said _"how's it going is she any better". _Ziva sighed as she moved into the kitchen away from Tali "not really" she said "she is asleep now, I just read half her book collection to her because she was a bit upset after she threw up"

"_She threw up" _Tony half yelped and she shushed him as his voice carried and Tali stirred in her sleep.

"Yes she threw up about an hour and a half ago; she just woke up and promptly threw up. She was scared and confused so once I had changed her I just settled down again and distracted her by reading, she fell asleep not long ago and it feels like her temperature has dropped slightly"

"_Well that is good" _Tony said _"what about you? How are you holding up?" _Ziva looked back over to where Tali lay curled up on the sofa. "I hate seeing her like this Tony" she said softly "she is so unhappy and feeling bad and there isn't much I can do to help her… I feel so powerless"

"_Hey" _Tony said _"Ziva you are doing everything you can for her, don't feel bad because I know and Tali knows that you would go to the ends of the earth if that meant you could find something that would help her feel better, it sounds like you are doing great ok" _

Ziva smiled "ok" she whispered before she frowned "Tony the earth is round I could not go to the ends". Tony laughed loudly _"it's a figure of speech Ziva, it means you would do anything". _"oh" Ziva said and smiled again "yes I would" she said softly gazing at her sleeping daughter.

"So how is the case going" she asked _"oh well we found his mistress who he was with the night he was murdered" _Tony said _"and she said that she saw a dark Sedan following him when he left her house at about 11 not long before he was murdered; she gave us a partial plate and we are digging into it now"_

"Good" Ziva said "I hope you catch him so that you can come home early, I think Tali would like a DiNozzo movie fest with you when you get in" he laughed again _"well I like the sound of that" _he said and Ziva smiled before looking up as she heard a groggy voice call out "mommy who you talking to".

She smiled at Tali who sat up rubbing her eyes tiredly "hey" she said "I'm talking to daddy, do you want to talk to daddy". Tali nodded tiredly and Ziva put the phone on speaker before she handed it to her. "Hi daddy" Tali mumbled; _"hey there my little princess" _Tony said in a soft gentle voice _"how's my favourite little girl doing, you feeling better honey" _"little bit" Tali said round a yawn as she snuggled up again against Ziva's chest _"well that is good" _Tony said "yeah" Tali said "you home soon daddy" she asked. _"yeah I'll be home soon princess, soon as I catch the bad guy" _Tony said _"and when I get home we shall watch lots of movies yes" _

"Yes" Tali said "can we watch _Up_, that one funny". Tony laughed again _"if that is what you want to watch then of course, anything for you my princess". _Tali smiled and the motion was mirrored on Ziva's face as she watched Tali speaking to her daddy.

"ok then" she said softly "daddy has to go catch the bad guys now ok so say bye bye" Tali nodded "bye bye daddy" she said "go catch the bad guys". _"Will do little princess will do" _Tony said _"you have another sleep yes then I will be home ok, bye honey, love you lots". _"Bye daddy love you" Tali said and handed the phone back to Ziva who took it off speaker and spoke to Tony.

"See you soon yes" she said "_yep" _he said _"better go Gibbs is giving me that look… later". _Ziva smiled as he hung up and she ended the call before she looked back down at Tali. "How are you feeling my love" she asked gently "sleepy". Ziva smiled "then go back to sleep my love" she said gently cuddling Tali close. Tali nodded and snuggled close as Ziva settled herself. She found herself oddly at ease with her daughter cuddled close. It brought her an odd sense of serenity. Looking back down she smiled at Tali before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

XO

When Tony arrived home he unlocked the door cautiously uncertain about what he might find inside. But he had little to fear for when he looked in he saw Ziva lying on the sofa sleeping soundly with their sick daughter curled up against her also asleep. The scene was so touching and precious that Tony had to stand there and marvel at it for a few minutes.

He looked over when he sensed movement and saw Gibbs enter the apartment. He had followed him home wanting to see how his granddaughter was feeling. He too stopped and smiled at the scene in front of them.

Tali stirred just then and opened her eyes. She shifted groggily before she looked up and a small smile slipped onto her face when she spotted them. "Daddy" she said softly and slid off the sofa and stumbled over to him. As she sensed her daughter rise Ziva mumbled and opened her eyes to look at them. She too smiled when she saw them.

"Hey" she said "hey" Tony responded as he bent to scoop Tali up and cuddle her "How you feeling ninja" Tali just mumbled in response and hugged him tightly. "did you catch him" Ziva asked and Tony nodded "yep" he said "we managed to find more evidence that pointed straight to our killer, wrapped it up nicely for the DA" Ziva smiled as she stretched before she stood up looking at her boss.

"Gibbs" she said "what are you doing here". Gibbs smiled at her "I wanted to see how my favourite granddaughter was doing" he said and grinning Tony handed her over to him so that she could give him a big hug. "Hey sweetpea, you not been well" he asked. Tali shook her head "feel icky" she said sadly "aw" he said "don't worry honey you will feel better soon and then you will be bouncing all over the place again right" "right" she said and he winked at her before he carefully lay her back on the sofa and crouched down next to her.

"now you have to rest" he said "so that your body can get better ok, so be good and do as mommy and daddy tell you ok" "ok" she said as he handed her the hippo again. "Now you get better soon sweetpea" Gibbs said bending to kiss the top of her head and Tali nodded sleepily before she mumbled "on it boss" making Gibbs chuckle as he slowly stood up.

He turned to Tony and Ziva and nodded to them both "take as long as you need" he said "it might take a few days before she is better ok" they both nodded. "thank you for stopping by" Ziva said moving forward to give him a hug. "no problem" he said as he hugged her back "I'll pop in again tomorrow ok" she nodded "see you then" she said and he waved to Tali before he slipped out of the apartment.

"Daddy" Tali called instantly and Tony looked at her "yes princess" "_Up_" she said "you promised daddy". Tony smirked "did I" he said "I don't remember" "yes" Tali whined and he laughed "ok" he said "time for movies". Rolling his eyes at Ziva he moved over to the cabinet and pulled out the DVD and slipped it into the player before he settled himself down with Tali who clambered onto his lap with her blanket and toys.

Smiling at the two of them Ziva made to start clearing up some of the mess she and Tali had made during the day but as she did so Tony reached out and caught hold of her. "leave it" he said "come on join us, family time" "yeah mommy family time" Tali said as he yanked her down next to him. Ziva laughed as she fell onto the sofa "ok" she said "family time it is". She adopted her favourite position; curled up against Tony with her head on his shoulders and joined father and daughter watching the movie about flying houses that truly portrayed the innocence of a child's mind.

And together they settled there giving Tali the TLC she needed during her 'feeling icky' time.

**Hope you enjoyed that. Sorry about how long it took. Right in the middle of exams. Just cannot find the time.**

**Please review. I promise I will try not to leave it so long next time. Reviews help encourage me to write on.**

**Thanks for reading**

**mysticgirl**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hi everyone I am so so sorry about how long it has been, college was killing me then I had family come visit and then I was in America for a couple of weeks for my 18****th**** birthday. It was cool aside from not being able to drink on my 18****th**** :P I even went to the real NCIS which was cool. Anyway hope you like this.**

Chapter 30 – No Longer A Baby

Tali remained off daycare for the rest of the week recovering from her illness. She threw up twice more over that period, once more whilst Ziva was with her and once when Tony was. Both of her parents hated seeing her bent over heaving and then crying once she was done.

They took it in turn staying off with her so that the other could go into work though whoever was working came home as soon as possible once work was done.

Today had been Ziva's turn to go into work and once all the paperwork was done Gibbs had told her to go home to her daughter which she hadn't argued about. Now as she pushed the door open she could hear giggling and as she entered she saw that her living room had been transformed; the kitchen chairs had been dragged into the centre of the room and the coffee table had been pushed out of the way. The chairs had then been stacked on top each other and over them a bed sheet was draped, stretching back to the sofa and weighted into place by some books. Other blankets were pined to the sheet to make a tent like structure.

"Um hello" she called and one of the blankets was pushed aside and Tony and Tali peered out grinning. "Hey Ziva you got home early" Tony said and she nodded "yes I did, we got no new case so Gibbs let us leave early" she eyed the structure in front of her "what is that" she asked.

"We built a fort" Tali said excitedly and Ziva was pleased to see she looked slightly brighter than she had done that morning. "A fort" she questioned as she knelt down and Tali nodded excitedly "come and see mommy" she said and grabbed Ziva's hand and tugged her forward. Ziva smiled as she crawled into the 'fort' and looked around. "Wow" she said in surprise "this is amazing aheva".

The inside of the fort was lined with duvets, pillows and blankets making a snug little nest. There was a pile of books and games stacked in the corner and Tali's toy animals scattered across the middle. Tony grinned at Ziva "have you never built a fort before he asked and she shook her head, "well you have been missing out" he said "and it appears you arrived just in time for tonight's DiNozzo movie fest and since the little princess is feeling a bit better I thought we would order in a pizza"

Tali's eyes widened in delight "yum" she giggled and Ziva smiled "well that sounds like a lot of fun" she said "are you hungry now tateleh do you want me to order the pizza". Tali screwed up her face thinking before she nodded and Ziva smiled "you two choose some movies then" she said and headed over to the phone.

Once she had ordered it and changed into more comfortable clothes she headed back to the fort to find that two blankets had been pinned back so that the TV could be seen and the main menu for the new Pixar movie _Brave___which Tali adored and Ziva thought was quite sweet was playing. As she shifted in she saw that Tony had brought in more pillows and their duvet making a snug bed. Smiling she bent to peer in before she carefully slipped in and lay down on her front next to Tony as he pressed play on the remote.

They lay there for the rest of the night curled up, only stopping to fetch the pizza when it arrived and to fetch drinks. Tali didn't eat as much pizza as she normally would but it was more than she had been eating over the past week which pleased both her parents. Ziva had to admit she liked this fort. Lying next to Tony who had his arm draped over her holding her close with Tali lying next to her transfixed by the film in front of her it was perfect.

When the third movie was ending Ziva saw that Tali was drooping; her eyelids fluttered as she made a determined effort to stay awake. "I think that is enough movies, time for bed sweetheart". Tali rolled onto her back to look at her mother "can I sleep in the fort" she asked. Ziva hesitated before she looked at Tony who shrugged "alright" she said "but just tonight ok" Tali nodded happily and reached over to grab Bernie before she dove under the duvet and settled down. Smiling Ziva leant over to kiss her before she carefully slipped out. Tony mimicked her and carefully allowed the blankets to fall back into place darkening the fort.

Smiling Ziva moved away from the fort with Tony right behind her and they both moved into the kitchen. "She seems better" Ziva murmured as she loaded their dirty plates and cups into the dishwasher whilst Tony devoured the last few pieces of pizza from the box. He nodded at her, "yup…jut I twime twoo" he said round a mouthful of pizza as his cheeks bulged. Ziva gave him a very pointed look which made him pause and somehow manage to swallow all the food in his mouth before he continued. "Just in time too" he repeated "for her birthday I mean, wouldn't be very nice for her to be ill on her birthday".

Ziva nodded with a smile "yes" she said "that would not be very nice". She looked over at the fort and felt Tony wrap his arms around her kissing her hair "Jeez four" he murmured "I can't believe she will be four this time next week that is scary… I mean it feels like just yesterday she was that tiny tiny little baby, so small she fit in my hands with that tiny high pitched cry that had us running should she so much as whimper".

Ziva smiled as she felt his lips brush over her neck and she tilted her head away to allow his lips to roam over her neck and shoulders as her hands crept up to play with his hair. She felt him gently nip at her skin before he murmured "do you remember that night we created her". She smirked "nope" she said "blanked it out of my memory". He growled playfully at her before he tugged her round and pressed her against the counter "so you don't remember this" he asked and she felt him nip the skin on her neck again before he moved to her shoulders as his hands slipped under her top to caress at her shoulder blades.

She felt her breath catch in her throat before she whispered "nope don't remember that". "Oh really" he said "what about this". Slowly his hands unclasped her bra before they slid round her body to cup at her breasts at the same time he removed his lips from her shoulders and replaced them on her own locking them together.

Ziva found herself instantly running her hand through his hair and slipping her other hand down his jeans. As they parted lips for oxygen Tony chuckled "you still don't remember that night" he teased and she stared at him breathlessly "might be coming back to me" she whispered and his eyes sparkled "well come with me my beautiful, let us go to our bedroom and I will refresh your memory"

He caught hold of Ziva's hand and tugged her towards the bedroom dimming the lights as they went. When they arrived at their bedroom door he pulled her back into a kiss before the staggered backwards into the bedroom closing the door behind them. "What if Tali wakes up" Ziva asked in between frantic kisses "She won't" Tony muttered holding her close "she has been sleeping like a rock whilst she has been sick"

He pushed her backwards towards the bed and pushed her down. Ziva looked around "Tali is asleep on our duvet" she said "you used it for the bottom of the fort". Tony didn't seem bothered by that fact though as he gently tugged her top and bra off and kissed her stomach "never mind" he murmured and Ziva felt that same thrill she always did when she felt his lips brushing over her skin and she pushed herself up against him eager for more and he smirked "by the time we are finished I doubt we will need a duvet, the sheets will be fine" he said and Ziva snorted before she dragged his shirt off exposing his chest "well aren't you the optimist" she noted as he kicked off his trousers and she followed in suit. "Mmm I am" he said and pushed her against the mattress placing one finger over her mouth "now shh I am trying to refresh your memory".

Ziva smirked again "hmm" she murmured "I distinctly remember…" with one firm shove of her hips she pushed him over and rolled on top of him so that she was straddling him "… that I was on top" she breathed "for now" Tony teased pushing her hair back before he pushed himself into a seating position curving her into his chest as he kissed her neck.

As their bodies joined, their movements became in sync, their breath became ragged and their skin became slick with sweat. With an easy twist Tony reversed their position so that Ziva was lying on the mattress "remember this part" he asked and Ziva wriggled in anticipation staring up into his eyes. Slowly and carefully Tony caught hold of her wrists on one hand and pinned them to the mattress above her head.

Ziva felt a tiny sense of unease at that; pre Tali this move would not have been accepted, she hadn't trusted anyone to have the upper hand over her. But things had changed, she had changed and now she felt totally comfortable allowing Tony to have control over her because she trusted him completely and a part of her suddenly liked the idea.

Tony gently traced his other hand up and down her skin and she shivered in delight before she squirmed eager for him to continue; his soft touch excited her and she wanted more. Usually she would just pull him in close to encourage him to start but without her hands all she could do was thrust her hips upwards into his hips. She could tell he was enjoying teasing her with this because he continued to just slowly run his hand over her skin kissing her stomach.

Eventually she couldn't take it anymore and she growled at him thrusting her hips up again and she saw him bite his lip to hide a laugh as he finally lowered himself pressing their bodies close and he released her hands and she instantly caught hold of him pulling him closer.

Closing her eyes Ziva had to stifle a small cry of pleasure as they made love for fear of waking Tali. To stop the cries she kept her lips sealed against Tony's skin allowing whispers of his name to slip through. And they made love muffling sounds of pleasure way into the night.

XO

When she woke up the next morning she was curled up against Tony who was still sleeping soundly. Slowly she stirred shifting tiredly under the sheets trying to get into a more comfortable before she suddenly sensed someone watching her and she lifted her head uncertainly before she relaxed. "Tali" she murmured "how long have you been standing there aheva". Tali slipped forward and leaned against the mattress placing Bernie on the mattress next to her "not long" she whispered "you and daddy having a cuddle". Looking down Ziva was mortified to realise that she was still naked and she quickly drew the sheets back around her concealing her naked body before she held out one arm and delighted Tali scrambled up onto the bed and cuddled up beside her; happily Ziva rested her head atop Tali's kissing her soft sweet smelling hair.

"Did you enjoy sleeping in the fort my love" Ziva asked sleepily and Tali nodded "can I do it again tonight" she asked "Bernie enjoyed it too". Ziva smiled at the personification of the toy hippo cuddled up in her daughter's arms. "We'll see" she murmured softly watching as Tali played with her toy whispering quietly to herself.

She sensed movement from behind her and then as usual Tony's arms snaked around her pulling her against his bare warm chest and his lips brushed over her neck lovingly before he realised they had company in the bed. "Hullo princess" he murmured tiredly tickling her belly making her giggle and squirm, her little legs twisting across the mattress.

Smiling Ziva rolled over to look at Tony as he propped himself up onto his elbow with his hair tussled all over the place. "Morning" murmured "hey" she said softly kissing him before she turned back to Tali "why don't you go start breakfast aheva mommy and daddy will be in soon". Tali nodded and leapt out of the bed and rushed towards the kitchen

Tony gave a sigh of relief as she disappeared before he tried to haul Ziva closer but she wriggled away "no we have to get up" she said "we are meeting Abby and Tim remember so that we can get some things for Tali's birthday" "oh yeah" he mumbled "five more minutes" "no" she growled at him "get up lazy". She gave him a sharp nudge in the ribs before she swung herself out of bed and moved over to the wardrobe pulling out some clothes.

Tony lay there marvelling at her beauty before he sighed and swung himself out of bed and staggered over to his dresser as Ziva headed to the bathroom for a shower whilst Tony dressed and moved out into the kitchen to find Tali balanced on a stool trying to pour herself some apple juice.

"Whoa careful little ninja" he said moving over to place a steadying hand on her back "need some help princess" he asked. "No I got it daddy" Tali said finishing pouring her drink. She took a quick sip before she expertly slipped off her stool without spilling any drink and moved away "see daddy I got it" she said. Tony smiled weakly at her "yeah you do my big girl yeah you do" he said slowly.

He looked at her for a while studying her features trying to savour the moment before he realised that Tali was staring at him confused "right do you fancy pancakes for breakfast princess" he asked and Tali nodded excitedly "can you make it into a flower shape daddy" she asked and he winked "anything for you mon fleur" he said and Tali giggled excitedly "Now you go amuse yourself whilst I make pancakes" Tony told her and she nodded "can I watch cartoons" she asked and he nodded "need help finding them" he asked and Tali shook her head "I can do it daddy" she said happily and skipped off.

Tony stared after her feeling stunned. He couldn't believe that this was his tiny little baby who almost four years ago he held cradled in his arms in the hospital whilst Ziva slept exhausted after nearly a day in labour, he remembered holding her so carefully afraid of breaking her because of how tiny and frail she looked. He remembered talking softly to her telling her that he would always be there to protect her and nothing bad would ever happen to her.

Looking at the nearly four year old sitting on the sofa manoeuvring herself through the television channels in search of a cartoon she liked, he couldn't believe that Tali was that same baby.

Slowly he moved around the kitchen making pancake batter thinking; Tali had changed so much: she had gone from that innocent little baby to a sweet smiling toddler. Next she had been a happy laughing little three year old and now she was a bright curious cheeky little four year old who had everyone wrapped round her little finger. He couldn't believe how much she had changed.

He and Ziva had changed a lot too. They had gone from co-workers who bickered constantly and annoyed each other to hell to parents who worked together, finding a rhythm that suited them in order to raise their little girl. Individually they had changed too; Ziva had gone from the jumpy hardcore Israeli assassin to the sweetest, kindest person he knew who doted on their daughter.

And Tony; well he had definitely changed. He could now barely remember his life before Tali. When he had been a bachelor who spent his free time watching action classic movies and staying up late, with work being his primary focus in life. Now Tali was the centre of his world and she had changed him, for the better. He now worked more reasonable hours, coming home on time, cooking healthy meals. It was rare for him to stay up late now, more often than not he would be crashing around the same time as Tali was now, and he couldn't remember the last action classic movie he had seen, now all the movies he had time for were cartoon Disney and Pixar films.

He certainly had changed, but he knew it was for the better and he wouldn't change any of it for the world. True he felt that learning how to braid hair, playing with dolls and making flower shaped pancakes might have cost him is cool card but hey that was parenthood.

He finished cooking the pancakes before he carefully slipped it onto a plate and carefully cut it into a flower before he placed it onto the table smirking quite pleased with how his pancake had turned out. "One flower shaped pancake" he called and Tali instantly dashed over "yum" she said as she scrambled onto the chair grabbing her knife and fork "thank you daddy" she said "no problem little ninja" he said before he turned to the stove and continued to make some more pancakes.

Ziva came out of the shower a few minutes later smiling as she saw Tali eating her special pancake. "You do know you spoil her right" she checked as she headed over and Tony winked "only a little" he teased before he slid the pancake he had just made onto a plate and held it out to her. Smiling she took it and settled down next to her daughter to eat her breakfast.

Once they had all finished their breakfast and had gotten dressed they all drove down to the nearest shopping mall where Tony assisted Tali back out of the car. "Ok where is your hat" he asked searching the back of the car "doesn't look like we brought it" he said "whoops".

He thought for a minute before he grinned and reached into the boot of the car and pulled out an NCIS hat "here" he said plonking it on her head "you can be an honorary Special Agent for the day – what do ya think Agent Tali DiNozzo". Tali laughed as she peered out at him from under the rim of the hat. "Yeah I like you and mommy" she said "I catch bad guys".

Tony smirked as he bent to give her a piggy back down to the shops "maybe wait till you are a bit older before you do that ninja" he said as he joined Ziva heading towards the shops. "Can I catch bad guys when I am four" Tali asked as her little hands linked around Tony's neck holding on as he carried her down. Tony laughed "Maybe a bit older" he said "like five" Tali asked "more like twenty five at the earliest" he told her and she let out a huff "that's ages away daddy" she told him "I know" he said "thank goodness", Ziva smirked

They arrived at the shops where they met a overly excited Abby who had dragged Tim along with her who looked a bit like he would rather be at home writing though his face softened into a smile when Tali ran up asking to be swung round and he complied making her laugh in delight before he set her down complimenting "nice hat kiddo".

"Right" Abby said briskly "We need to get a lot of things for Tali's birthday so boys you are in charge of food whilst Ziva and I are in charge of decorations" she handed McGee a list "go fetch" she said "us girls are going to be busy for a while so entertain yourselves for a bit will you"

"Um ok" Tony said "Abby you do know it is our daughter's birthday right". Abby scowled at him "don't rain on my parade" she warned "as favourite aunt…" "only aunt" Tony reminded causing her to narrow her eyes at him and him to take a step backwards behind Tali pretending to hide behind her causing her to giggle whilst Abby continued "as favourite aunt it is my duty to make sure my favourite niece gets the most amazing birthday parties available".

Tony looked like he was going to say something else but in the end he sensibly decided against it "ok" he said taking the list "food shopping it is, Tali who you going with ninja? Boys or girls?"

Tali looked between the two groups before she grinned "girls" she said and Abby beamed "yes girlie shopping trip" she gushed "uh oh" Tony muttered "flash to the future there and by the looks of it my retirement age just went up considerably to pay for girlie shopping trips". Ziva smirked before she caught hold of Tali's hand and followed Abby off towards the party store whilst Tony and Tim wondered off at a leisurely pace to the supermarket to buy food.

XO

They met up for lunch where Tali bounced around excitedly telling her daddy and her uncle Tim what they had gotten for her birthday. After lunch Tony and McGee took Tali to the play area to keep her entertained whilst Ziva and Abby picked up some last things. Ziva joined them after a while and they sat waiting for Abby watched as Tali scrambled over and under a load of obstacles in the play place sliding down the slide roaring with laughter.

After abut 45 minutes they called her out with the promise of ice cream and Ziva was just buttoning up her little jacket and helping her into her shoes when she sensed someone approaching and looking up she saw Abby hurrying over looking excited.

Ziva stared at Abby as she came staggering over with hundreds of bags, "guys" she gushed "come see what I bought". "Most of the shopping mall by the looks of it" Tony commented as Ziva eyed all the bags.

"Abby please don't tell me those are not all for my daughter" she said pointedly. "No of course not" Abby said before she shifted awkwardly under Ziva's pointed gaze and she lifted up one of the bags "this one is for Timmy" she said guiltily. Ziva stared in shock before she couldn't help but laugh. "Abby" Tony said exasperated "what" she complained "my other duty as favourite aunt is to make sure my adorable little niece is completely spoiled at all times"

Tony stared at the bags before he looked at Ziva who shrugged "ok" he said heavily "Tali you are one spoiled child, you know that right" "yeah" Tali said sweetly making everyone smile as they headed over to the ice cream stall.

"So why didn't Gibbs come today" he asked "he was invited right", Ziva nodded as he looped his arm around her and they watched Tali skipping along chattering to Abby and Tim, "you know Gibbs Tony" Ziva said "he doesn't buy Tali gifts he makes them for her". Tony nodded thinking as he pulled out his wallet to pay for Tali's ice cream that she was presented with "yeah but you know him he never misses an opportunity to spend time with Tali". Ziva nodded smiling fondly at the way Tali's eyes had widened at the size of her chocolaty ice cream that was already dribbling over her fingers "I am sure he is just putting the final touches on her present" she said "we'll see him tomorrow, you'll see". Tony nodded and then winced as a big blob of chocolate fell on Tali's t-shirt causing her to freeze and say "oops".

He rolled his eyes "don't worry ninja" he said "we'll sort that out at home". Tali grinned and licked at her melting ice cream happily.

They loaded the car with most of the things they had bought and helped Abby load her car before they waved goodbye and watched them drive away as Tali scrambled into her car seat so that Tony could strap her in "is Abby and Timmy coming over tomorrow" she asked. Tony nodded "of course" he said "you didn't think they would miss your birthday did you little ninja". Tali smiled happily "grandpa is coming over too isn't he" she checked "of course" Tony said again "I have no doubt about that" Tali beamed as Tony shut the door and moved round to the driver's seat and clambered in.

When they arrived home Tali rushed straight to the fort and scrambled inside allowing the flap to fall closed behind her and they soon heard her playing happily and Tony and Ziva moved quickly into the kitchen to unpack what they had bought and put it all away talking quietly as they did until Tali poked her head out of the fort again "mommy daddy can we watch some movies tonight" she asked "in the fort". "We can watch a few but not as many as last night".

Tali pouted having obviously enjoyed last night "why" she asked "because" Ziva said as she knelt down next to the fort "we have to get up early tomorrow … remember why". Tali beamed "it's my birthday" she said "yes" Ziva praised and we have to go to NCIS remember". Tali nodded excitedly "and see everyone" she cried "yes so you have to go to sleep early" Ziva said "so you are not tired… so how about we only watch one movie tonight". Tali nodded "yay" she sang before retreating into her fort to continue playing.

Pleased with how that had gone Ziva returned to the kitchen "nicely handled" Tony commented "well I thought an early night might do us all some good" Ziva explained and he nodded "sounds good" he agreed.

So after a quick dinner they resumed their positions from last night in the fort to watch another movie. Ziva often wondered how Tali didn't run out of movies to watch, she never got bored of them. Though everyone in their team had developed a habit of if they saw a cheap kid's movie when out and about, they just bought it and either put it away for a special occasion or just gave it to her. Tony was the worst, he was constantly coming back from interviewing suspects saying he stopped at the supermarket and they had had some DVDs on sale. It was entertaining to see how his movie quotes had gone from being about action classics to little lines from Disney movies.

When the movie ended Tali begged them to let her sleep in the fort again and unable to say no to her big beseeching green eyes they relented and Ziva read her a quick story. She didn't even need to read the words any more; she had read this story to Tali so many times she knew it off by heart, this enabled her to watch Tali as she told her the story to watch her smile and her eyes flicking over the colourful pictures trying to see everything in the drawings.

When she was done she set the story aside and looked at Tali curled up next to her "night night my darling" she whispered pressing a kiss to the top of Tali's head "ni ni mommy" Tali mumbled and snuggled down. Ziva lay there watching her drift off to sleep. She felt very comfortable lying next to Tali and she didn't feel like leaving yet. So she carefully lay her head down on one of the pillows curling up and closing her eyes. Exhausted it wasn't long before she fell asleep.

Tony had been cleaning up the kitchen and checking his emails when he suddenly realised that everything had gone very quiet. He looked over at the fort before he carefully stood up and pulled back the blanket covering the entrance to smile when he saw Ziva and Tali curled up together sleeping soundly. He looked around the apartment before he reached for the light and switched it of and after locking the door quietly he slid in and lay himself down next to Ziva placing one arm over her. Instinctively she cuddled closer moulding her body into his. Smiling at both his girls he joined them in the peace and serenity of the dream world where time stood still and anything was possible.

**Hi everyone hope you enjoyed this. Sorry again for the delay.**

**Please review – I would love to know what you think.**

**If you have read the rest of the Tali series and like Castle and Bones why not check out the three way crossover I am currently writing with a dear friend of mine – it is already written so it gets regular updates every week. It is called Kindred Spirits and features a lot of Tali and a new girl named Blair who has joined the NCIS family. Check it out.**

**Thanks again and please review**

**Mysticgirl**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hi everyone I am sooo sorry for the long delay, been trying to choose universities and then college work again yay. Hope you like this chapter – hope you find it sweet.**

Chapter 31 – My Little Girl

The sound of the early morning DC traffic gently tugged Ziva out of her peaceful sleep and she mumbled indignantly not wanting to wake up. She sensed movement beside her and then Tony was pulling her close and she felt his lips brush over her neck before he settled back down again and with her eyes still closed Ziva smiled and snuggled deeper into his chest. "This is nice" Tony murmured "lets lie in bed all day". Ziva smirked "sounds great" she mumbled and tugged the sheets back over her body settling happily down.

At that moment they heard an excited shriek and they both sat up in surprise to see that they were still in the fort that they had fallen asleep in and Tali was already awake and currently crawling back into the fort "wake up mommy wake up daddy" she squealed.

Ziva groaned as she realised what the disturbance was and slumped back down "no please let this be a dream" she moaned before she groaned as a small singing cannonball collided with her and began to sing "wake up mommy wake up" "never mind" she muttered and rolled over to look at her smiling daughter and she felt a smile slip onto her face as she looked at her daughter.

She felt Tali wiggle off her and then she heard Tony groan and she looked over only to laugh as she saw that Tali had clambered onto his stomach where she sat giggling as she jiggled up and down. "Wake up daddy" she cried "it's my birthday"

"Well I don't like this alarm clock much" Tony said looking over at her and she smiled weakly as she sat up lifted Tali off of him onto her lap to give her a cuddle "you have to admit it is effective" she said and he sighed "true" he mused.

"Daddy" Tali whined and he groaned before looking down at her and she smiled in the way that made her daddy smile back at her lovingly "is today your birthday ninja" he asked and she nodded excitedly "and how old are you" he teased "three". "no daddy I'm four" Tali giggled "I'm a big girl now". "Yeah you are" Tony murmured gazing at her with a sad smile on his face before he slowly sat up "come on then ninja lets go shall we; we have to get you breakfasted and dressed so we can go to work and you can get spoiled at work". Laughing Tali scrambled out of the fort and dashed towards her bedroom.

Yawning widely Tony and Ziva crawled out of the fort stretching their stiff backs tiredly before Ziva staggered off to dress Tali whilst Tony headed to the kitchen to make coffee. As he waited for the kettle to boil he found himself staring at a picture of Tali when she was a baby grinning at the camera from where she sat on Ziva's lap with her mother smiling happily at the camera also, the light that had been in her eyes since having Tali glowing proudly.

He thought back to this day all those years ago with Ziva lying in the hospital bed gasping in pain and growling out angry threats at him as he tried unsuccessfully to help her. But it had been worth it in the end. He still remembered that warm feeling he had felt inside of him when he had heard his baby wail loudly for the first time and when he had first seen her as she was placed gently in Ziva's arms and how he had watched a beautiful smile form on Ziva's face as she had bounced their daughter gently hugging her before she had offered her to him.

He remembered taking the baby in his arms so carefully worried about hurting her because she was so tiny and fragile looking. He remembered staring into her big blue eyes as she had looked up at him and in that instant he had known that this little girl would have him wrapped round his finger and he would be at her complete mercy from that day on. And he was.

He looked over and bent to catch Tali as she rushed at him dressed in jeans and a little t-shirt that he had gotten for her as a little joke to tease Ziva as it said 'Daddy's little ninja' on it. Ziva had taken one look at it and given him a very exasperated look before she hadn't been able to hold back a smile and then a laugh.

Tony lifted Tali high in the air making her laugh as she kicked her legs excitedly "oof you are getting heavy princess" he said as he lowered her down "won't be able to do that much more now you are a big girl". Tali smiled at him proudly before she headed over to get her breakfast as Tony made coffees before heading to the bedroom to join Ziva in quickly getting dressed. "So" he said "how spoiled do you think Tali is going to get today" he asked. Ziva smiled "hmm" she said "if the last three birthdays are anything to go by I would say very spoiled". Tony rolled his eyes "got the camera" he asked and Ziva nodded as she bent to unlock their safe and pull out their guns and badges and placed them in their bags. "Did you put our presents in the boot" she asked and he nodded.

Once they were dressed and had gulped down a quick breakfast they headed down to the car and Tali scrambled into her car seat. "Do I still have to use my car seat now I am four" she asked "yep" Tony said "need to use it for a few more years my ninja". Tali pouted obviously hoping that being a big girl of four would stop confining her to her car seat.

When they arrived at the navy yard Tali was jiggling up and down excited to be going to NCIS all day and she rushed excitedly into the building waving to the security guards as she ran past whilst Tony and Ziva struggled in carrying the bags of presents. The moment the elevator doors opened on their floor she was out rushing towards the bullpen where everyone including Abby, Ducky and Palmer were waiting for her.

Laughing she ran to Abby who lifted her up into her arms chiming "happy birthday Tali" excitedly as Tali beamed at the attention she was getting. Gibbs came forward and caught her up laughing "hey big girl" he said "happy birthday short stuff" he kissed her cheek and she giggled as she hugged him as Tony and Ziva set down the presents groaning.

"Rough night" McGee asked his colleagues "we fell asleep in Tali's fort" Tony said "not as comfortable to sleep in as you would think". McGee laughed. "Wow" Tony said looking round the bullpen "I like what you did with the place". Abby had obviously arrived early because there were balloons everywhere and a banner under the big monitor saying "_happy birthday Tali" _along with a huge cake on a table filled with food.

Abby preened proudly at the compliment "lets get started on the presents" she squealed excitedly and dragged Tali over to the pile of presents eager for her to begin. Gibbs moved over to Tony and Ziva "and how are you two coping" he asked "not good" Tony said "she is growing up way too fast". "Always the way" Gibbs said clapping him on the shoulder before they turned their attention back to Tali who had began to tear open her presents and Tony quickly grabbed the camera to make sure her 4th birthday was well documented.

Indeed his prediction was correct and Tali was very spoiled. She got little tea sets and dressing up outfits and accessories, a marble run which proved very fun until you had to locate the marbles. There were lots of hair accessories and toy sets, a huge box of pink lego, books, DVDs and so much more.

Gibbs as usual went all the way with his present and when Tali opened his present she found a beautifully made dolls house complete with furniture and little wooden dolls. Upon close inspection Tony noticed that some of the dolls and furniture appeared to be quite old. It wasn't until he picked one of the toys up and saw something written on the bottom that he realised what this was.

Ziva saw him staring at the dolls house quite shocked as he stood there with the doll in hand and slowly she headed over and saw the faded name scrawled on the bottom of the dolls shoe and she understood what had shocked him.

Written in a young child's hand was the name: _Kelly Gibbs._

She looked at Tony and Tony looked at her before they both looked at Gibbs who was crouched next to Tali showing her all the parts of the house. When he stood Ziva slowly moved over to him "was that Kelly's doll house" she asked quietly and he looked at her before he nodded. "The dolls and furniture were hers" he said gruffly "I built the house and repainted the furniture". Ziva squeezed his arm gently and they both went back to watching Tali play.

Tali certainly wasn't bored that day whilst her parents and the rest of the team worked. She played with the marbles and with a remote controlled dog that McGee gave her that barked loudly for most of the day. But the dolls house kept her entertained throughout most of the day. She sat and chattered away to herself as she played giving the team time to do their work.

It wasn't until lunch time that Tali headed over to sit on Gibbs' lap and as usual she played with wallet liking to find all the secret compartments. She hadn't been doing it for long when she pulled out a small photograph. "Grandpa that's you" she said and Gibbs glanced down at what she was holding and upon seeing him pause Tony and Ziva looked up to see what Tali was holding.

Tali studied the picture before she pointed to someone in it "who's that grandpa" she asked innocently and Gibbs hesitated before he quietly said "that's my little girl and her mommy". Tony and Ziva instantly looked at each other panicked wondering what the best way would be to veer Tali away from that topic. Even McGee looked slightly worried as they all watched Tali and Gibbs.

"Your little girl" Tali repeated and she looked at the picture "your little girl Kelly" she said and everyone blinked surprised at how she had known that. Even Gibbs looked slightly shocked as he eyed Tali who was looking up at him "yeah Kelly" he said softy and Tali smiled before she placed one of the dolls she had been given on the desk "this is Kelly's doll" she said "says Kelly on the bottom".

"Yes that was Kelly's doll" Gibbs murmured "that one was her favourite". Everyone could see the memories in his eyes as he looked at the doll. Tali looked back at the doll before she looked back at Gibbs. "Where's Kelly at grandpa" she asked.

"Hey Tali leave grandpa to work" Tony said quickly looking very worried but Gibbs shook his head at him showing that it was ok. "Kelly is with her mommy with the angels" he said quietly taking the picture gently from Tali who frowned "up with the angels" she questioned "but how do you see her". Sadness was present in Gibbs eyes as he sighed "I don't get to" he said looking at the picture. "Oh" Tali said softly "why do I have Kelly's doll" she asked and Gibbs looked down at her "because Kelly loved those dolls very much" he said "and now those dolls need someone else to love them very much. Can you do that for me Tali"?

Tali nodded "I love them very much" she said gently laying the doll on the desk "I look after them for Kelly". "Good girl" Gibbs said quietly kissing the top of her head gently before Tali turned and hugged him. She didn't know the depth of the gesture he had given her by giving her his little girl's toys and neither did she understand the depth of the gesture she gave him by hugging him then. Gibbs hugged her tightly back wrapping his arms around her securely, holding her safely in his embrace where nothing could hurt her.

Eventually he had to let her down and she ran over to Tony who scooped his little girl up to give her a look and he gazed at her sadly as though realising now how much he should really savour each second with her for you never knew when she was going to be taken away.

Everyone remained quiet until Abby came skipping up from her lab "time for cake" she sang before noticing how quiet everyone was "what happened" she asked and everyone looked at Gibbs who stood "nothing" he said "come on short stuff lets get cake". Tali grinned and rushed over to the table as Abby lit the candles and shaking off the sad feeling they had just felt and they smiled as they saw Tali grinning at the huge cake in front of her.

Smiling Tony lifted to get some pictures as everyone sang happy birthday to Tali as Ziva lifted her up to blow out the candles before the cake was cut and Tali got a big slice and most of the icing ended up around her face making everyone laugh before Abby grabbed the camera and took some pictures of Tali and her parents.

They all soon managed to get the sad feeling out of their heads as they finished off their work and played with Tali who ran round excitedly all day so it wasn't surprising when she went to sit on Ziva's lap that she almost instantly crashed and she curled up against Ziva's chest and rested her head whilst Ziva worked.

As they prepared to leave and Gibbs and Tony took a few trips down to the car to load Tali's presents into the boot Ziva noticed that Tali was sitting cross legged in the middle of the bullpen with one of the dolls brought up to her ear as though she was listening to it. She was just about to ask what she was doing when Gibbs and Tony returned and Tali leapt up dropping the doll away from her ear.

"Ok ninja say your goodbyes" Tony said and Tali ran around to hug Abby and Tim before she ran to Gibbs who lifted her up and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Kiss from Kelly" she said before she hugged him "her dolly told me that she wanted to give you a hug to so I should do it". She hugged him again as Tony and Ziva stood there looking amazed at what Tali was saying; she was a very caring child but she was still too young to understand the depth of Gibbs' pain yet somehow she knew how to try and comfort him.

Gibbs hugged Tali tightly as he had done so earlier and Tali hugged him before she mumbled "love you grandpa". Gibbs smiled and kissed the top of her head "love you too lovebug love you too"

Slowly he lowered her to the ground and she ran over to Ziva catching hold of her hand as everyone including Abby who had missed the previous exchange looked shocked. Slowly Tony shouldered his rucksack and awkwardly said "see you tomorrow" before he turned to leave with Ziva.

"DiNozzo" Gibbs called and he winced before he headed back over to where his boss stood. "Boss I honestly don't know where she got that from" he said but Gibbs just looked at him "that is one very special kid you have there you know that right Tony" he said and Tony looked over his shoulder to where Tali was standing with Ziva chattering away to her.

"Yeah" he said softly "I know that and I constantly wonder how I got so lucky as to have her for my daughter". Gibbs looked him straight in the eye "make sure you savour time" he said "and tell her everyday how much you love her". Tony nodded "I will" he said "thanks boss". Gibbs nodded "see you tomorrow DiNozzo" he said "go spend time with your little girl". He turned back to his desk and slowly Tony headed back to his family.

"What did Gibbs want" Ziva asked as they rode the elevator down and Tony looked at her "to make sure I knew how lucky I was" he said "like I needed to be reminded". Ziva smiled as she looked down at Tali "yes" she said softly "we are lucky"

Tony waited until they were home and Tali was fed, bathed and curled up watching a new movie in her pyjamas before he told Ziva the rest. "Gibbs told me to make sure I savoured time with her" he said as he and Ziva cleared up the kitchen. "And I thought I was but then thinking about how Gibbs lost his family so suddenly I know worry that I am not".

Ziva turned to look at him and saw that he suddenly looked quite panicked "I mean I cant believe she is four Ziva, I am worried that I will blink and suddenly she will be fourteen with a boyfriend and growing too independent, I don't want to lose time Ziva".

Slowly Ziva moved over and cupped his cheeks gently looking straight into his eyes "Tali and I are going no where Tony" she said firmly "we will never leave you I promise". She looked over at Tali before she smiled "and don't worry no matter how old Tali gets she will always be your little girl and no matter how many boyfriends she might have you will always be the number one man in her life because you are her daddy and no one can replace a little girl's daddy do you understand".

Tony looked at her absorbing what she had just said before he nodded and looked back over to Tali whose movie had ended and she had just decided to crash on the sofa. Slowly he moved over to the sofa and lifted her up into his arms cradling her small body close to him feeling her head loll onto his shoulder as he carried her carefully into her bedroom and lay her on the bed. He studied her peaceful face before he gave a small smile and kissed her forehead and from her position in the doorway Ziva heard him murmur "yeah you'll always be my little girl no matter how old you get ninja" and with that he gently stood and backed out of the room looking slightly satisfied with the knowledge that Tali always would be his little girl.

**Hope you all enjoyed that. It was sad to write but I hope you find it meaningful.**

**Please review and I swear I will update sooner**

**Thanks **

**Mysticgirl**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hi everyone, sorry this has taken so long, in truth I had no idea what to write next and it took me a while to have an idea. Hope you like this, pure daddy daughter fluff to start with.**

Chapter 32 – Crime consumed innocence

Tony grinned as he stepped into the garden of the day care centre and spotted Tali playing happily on the climbing frame with her friends laughing delightedly. With the smile remaining on his face he moved over and leaned on the frame "Hey princess whatcha doing." He asked as she scrambled over the little bridge.

"Hey daddy" Tali said grinning as she scrambled over to where he stood and swung from one of the bars "we just playing." "Just playing huh" Tony said with a grin "you having too much fun to come home, should I leave you here."

"No" Tali giggled "no don't leave me, I'm coming with you daddy." "Alrighty then" Tony said "you coming down." "Catch me daddy" Tali said with a grin and with a roll of the eyes Tony held up his hands to catch her as she carefully leapt off the climbing frame laughing gleefully. Smiling at her he kissed the top of her head as he carried her back into the building carefully manoeuvring himself around the other excitable children.

"Where's mommy" Tali asked as he helped her into her jacket and scooped up her bag. Tony grinned at her "well" he said "Mommy is with Grandpa and Uncle Tim and they are working tonight so wont be home till late so you know what that means right?"

Tali beamed "DiNozzo mega movie fest and pizza" she exclaimed flinging her arms high in the air in delight "yay." Tony laughed at her exuberance "you got it princess" he said grinning as he caught her hand "and don't forget ice cream" "Yum" Tali giggled "lets go daddy."

Still smiling that infectious smile that was always present when with Tali Tony followed her out to the car and assisted her into her car seat before clambering into the front to head home.

Recently they had been working hard. They were almost over run with cases and had gotten another one that day. Tony had been staying late at the office mostly so that Ziva could go home to Tali but today Ziva had told him that she was going to stay on the stake out and he was to go home with Tali. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to have a quality evening with his little girl he hadn't protested that much.

They stopped at a store near their apartment to collect some goodies for their evening and Tali bounced along next to him waving excitedly to the store workers who knew her well and waved back as Tony ushered her out of the store saying 'no we don't need that'

When they arrived home he gave her a piggy back up to their apartment which left his hands free to carry all the things they had bought. Once they were in he bent so Tali could slide down from his back and rush to her room before he headed into the kitchen and unpacked everything they had bought, quickly placing the ice cream in the freezer. He then ordered a pizza before he began to tidy up and prepare things for their evening ahead, humming to the music on the radio.

He heard laughter and grinned as Tali came running in dancing around. "Care to dance my little ballerina" he asked holding out his hands and she giggled as she took his hands and he lifted her up unto his arms and he began to dance around the room with her feeling his heart soar at the sound of her delighted laughter. "Faster daddy" she squealed and chuckling he complied; spinning round as though he were dancing a tango with her, lifting her high in the air, spinning her above his head making her squeal excitedly.

"Don't stop daddy" she pleaded as the song ended and he smiled "this song is a slow song princess" he said as another song started "you gotta dance slow, like a waltz, want me to show you how?" Tali nodded eagerly and catching her hands he gently began to dance with her but when she struggled he lifted her up and placed her on his feet so that she moved with him, almost instantly she smiled. "Look at you princess you're a natural" he praised and she beamed up at him.

As they waltzed Tony secretly savoured the moment; dancing with his daughter. He knew that one day he would treasure this moment when Tali was all grown up. It felt like such a mundane thing to be doing; spending time with his daughter, teaching her how to dance. It really did remind him that despite all the pain and bad he saw with his job, there really was innocence and beauty in this world, innocence that needed to be treasured.

He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of the doorbell ringing and he quickly waltzed a laughing Tali over to the door before he released her allowing her to hop off his feet and scamper out the way before he opened the door to find the pizza delivery man. After paying him and thanking him Tony took the pizza and shut the door locking it. "Alright princess" he called "the DiNozzo mega movie fest is about to begin, choose some movies"

He prepared some drinks and set them on the coffee table whilst Tali chose some movies before he brought out two plates "how many pieces of pizza to start with princess" he called "two daddy" Tali responded as she carefully slotted the DVD disk into the player. Tony quickly placed slices of pizza onto the two plates and carried them over to the table settling into the sofa as Tali scampered over and scrambled up onto the sofa to snuggle up next to him.

Smiling he wrapped his arm around her hugging her tightly as the movie started and soon they both lost themselves in the innocence of Disney. After the first two Tony found himself dozing, exhausted after all the work he had been doing that week. Tired he closed his eyes listening to the movie about monsters going to university.

The next thing he knew Tali was poking him. "Daddy" she whined "daddy you fell asleep." He grunted "no I didn't" he muttered "I was just resting my eyes, I like that movie." "But you fell asleep" Tali protested. He gave her a sheepish smile "I like sleeping" he teased and Tali smiled.

"Tell you what" Tony said "why don't we watch the rest of the movies in mommy and daddy's room on daddy's laptop, we can fall asleep in bed that way." Tali nodded eagerly and they quickly transferred into the master bedroom and changed into their pyjamas before they cuddled back down and Tali watched another movie whilst Tony unsuccessfully tried to stay awake but he managed to make it through about as much of the movie that Tali did because about ten minutes before the end he looked down at her and saw that she was fast asleep nestled in his arms.

He smiled and moving as little as possible he stopped the movie and turned the laptop of placing it on the floor beside the bed before he carefully shifted down the pillows into a more comfortable position before he too drifted off to sleep.

XO

He was woken hours later to the sound of a siren wailing and instantly he knew that something was wrong. The air inside the bedroom was thick with smoke and was hot. He could hear people shouting and screaming from around the building, trying to raise the alarm that the building was on fire.

Instantly he sat up turning to Tali. "Tali" he shouted urgently shaking her "Tali wake up princess." As he began to cough Tali stirred and slowly sat up "daddy" she said looking around as her eyes grew wide "daddy what happening." Coughing Tony leapt to his feet grabbing a sweatshirt yanking it on before he turned and caught hold of Tali, yanking her into his arms grabbing her beloved toy hippo and handing it to her. Then he grabbed his NCIS jacket from the chair and draped it over Tali.

"Ok" he muttered "let's get out of here." He opened the door and headed for the front door opening it only to leap back swearing as a wall of heat hit him as flames licked at the door frame. Thinking frantically he looked around before he yanked the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head and pressed Tali's face into his shoulder, he took a deep breath which may have been a mistake he realised as he coughed over the smoke before he leapt out into the hallway.

The heat was immense and flames danced and engulfed the corridor, consuming everything in sight. Coughing deeply Tony began to move quickly down the hall feeling Tali's body shudder as she coughed choking over the smoke. "Hang on princess" he managed to shout "hang on it's ok, we'll be ok."

He ducked as he heard a crash from behind and saw that part of the ceiling had collapsed. Knowing it wouldn't be long before more followed, he sped up cradling Tali close hearing her begin to cry with fear. To his relief he found that the door to the staircase was intact and when he opened it the stairway was relatively clear of smoke. Just as he was about to duck in he heard shouting and coughing from behind and looking round he saw their neighbour, a young lady called Jess bent over coughing.

Instantly he ran back out and caught hold of her "Jess" he shouted "come on." He slung her arm over his shoulder and began to half carry, half drag her back to the staircase stumbling through and shutting the door. "Thank you Tony" Jess wheezed "yeah don't thank me yet" Tony said adjusting his grip on Tali who was still clinging to him crying "we still have to get out."

He made his way down the stairs supporting Jess whenever she stumbled, but keeping a firm grip on Tali. They ran down the stairs encountering others who had made it and Tony began to shout orders and remembering that he was a cop everyone obeyed.

Relinquishing Jess to someone else Tony led the way down the stairs and with the help of a few other able people he managed to open a few doors on the next two floors and drag two more people out before they staggered down the stairs.

When they arrived at the bottom though they found that the hall was full of smoke and clinging to Tali who was still covered by his NCIS jacket Tony threw himself against the door. "You have got to be kidding me" he groaned when it didn't budge and he threw himself against it again and again before two men who lived on the floor below joined in and just when Tony was beginning to panic about getting Tali out the door finally burst open and they all stumbled out gratefully breathing in the cool night air.

Once Tony was sure everyone was out he bent over and let out a few hacking coughs and as some passer bys came running over and an ambulance pulled up he sank to the floor breathing heavily. He felt Tali stir in his arms and slowly he lifted his jacket away from her as she looked up at him, her face was blackened from the smoke but there were tear streaks running down her cheeks with tears still dribbling down them and she was coughing heavily.

But apart from that Tony was relieved to see that she was unharmed. His jacket had protected her from the worst of the heat and she didn't appear to have any serious burns. He let out a sigh of relief and hugged her tightly "it's ok princess" he murmured kissing her forehead "we're ok."

Just then he heard a screaming cry of horror and looking up he saw a woman running towards them, her eyes wide with horror "Maria" she screamed "Maria". Tony looked around; he knew Maria and her mother Louisa, Maria was a student at the university studying to be a doctor and was living with her mother who was dying of cancer so that she could take care of her. She was one of the kindest girls Tony knew and was lovely to Tali, always buying her some little sweet or present and always willing to babysit should Tony and Ziva get called out in the middle of the night. And looking round Tony realised that Maria wasn't here and with a clench in his stomach he realised she hadn't made it out.

"Louisa" Jess sad grabbing hold of her shoulders as she ran towards the burning building "no you can't go in there, it is too dangerous" "Maria" she sobbed "no please no" Tony looked around wondering what to do; the fire fighters that had arrived were ordering everyone back saying it was too dangerous to go in. But dammed he would be if he was going to let fire take another innocent girl's life...

He stood up and moved over to Jess and Louisa. "Jess" he said sharply and his neighbour looked up "take Tali" he said "don't let her out of your sight you hear me." He handed Tali over to Jess who took her looking worried "what are you going to do" she whispered and he looked at them "I am going to get Maria" he said and before anyone could stop him he turned and ignoring the fire fighters who were shouting at him he dashed back into the building.

XO

Ziva smiled gratefully to Gibbs. "Thanks for the lift home" she said "no problem Ziver" he murmured with a smile "It would have been a pretty long walk home for you." She grinned "Now I just have to see what mess my husband and daughter have made" she said with a sigh and Gibbs chuckled "well hopefully they haven't burnt the building down" he joked as they pulled into her road and Ziva began to laugh before the sound died on her lips as they both took in the sight in front of them.

The street was alive with activity. Ambulances were pulling in and out caring for some people whilst others sat on the pavement, alone or with family hugging them, the relief on their faces illuminated by the orange glow.  
>The orange glow caused by the flames consuming her apartment building.<br>Ziva let out a cry of horror "no" she cried throwing open the car door "Tali! Tony!" she cried. She sprinted forward shoving past police agents who tried to hold her back screaming that that was where she lived and her husband and daughter were there. She sprinted over to the ambulances looking round frantically as Gibbs ran up beside her. "Tony" she called out desperately "Tali?"

"Ima" a small voice called out from behind her and she whirled round and let out a gasp of relief as she saw Tali in their neighbour's arms. Instantly she rushed forward and scooped her daughter into her arms hugging her tightly and smothering her in relieved kisses. "Oh aheva" she whispered into her daughter's hair "thank goodness you are alright my baby." She felt Tali snuggle into her chest, her hand forming a fist around a handful of her shirt.

"Thank you Jess" she whispered to her neighbour "are you alright? What happened?" Jess smiled weakly as Gibbs came over and stroked Tali's hair "we don't know what happened" she said "we were all just woken by the alarm and people knocking on our doors. I am ok, but I have Tony to thank for that, he pulled me out."

Ziva looked around feeling the worry reappear "where is Tony Jess" she asked "what happened." Jess instantly looked worried "I tried to stop him" she whispered "but he went back in. He went in to save Maria... she didn't make it out."

Ziva stared in horror before she turned back to look at the building with flames leaping out windows. "Tony" she whispered as she heard Gibbs mutter "damm it DiNozzo get your ass out of there." Hugging Tali tightly and trying to reassure herself and her daughter she watched and waited, praying to see her husband step out of the fire.

XO

The heat was immense and it nearly knocked Tony of his feet. Cursing he raised one arm to shield his face as bits of ceiling fell. He ducked under a beam and headed for the stairs dashing up them to the forth floor where Maria and her mother lived. Opening the door to the corridor made flames flare up and he shied to one side before he dashed forward. "Maria" he shouted frantically "Maria". There was no response and he felt his stomach clench. Hurriedly he ran down the corridor to her apartment keeping his mouth and nose covered with his sleeve and threw himself against the door. Thankfully it broke easily and he tumbled into the apartment.

"Maria" he shouted as he staggered to his feet "hey where are you?" He looked round the apartment coughing over the smoke and cursed. He couldn't stay here any longer, he needed to get out. Just as he turned though he heard a cough and he instantly spun round "hello" he shouted. Another weak cough sounded and he ran round the couch to see Maria lying behind it coughing.

"Hey" he said crouching beside her "come on we have to get out of here." He caught her arm and hauled her to her feet supporting her as he had done Jess. But as he tried to take a step she collapsed and he swore before he bent and picked her up and began to stagger out of the apartment. He didn't look back as he stumbled down the hall. He kept his eyes firmly on the door to the stairs feeling the smoke burn his lungs and cause his eyes to water.

He half fell through the door and groaning he leaned briefly against the banister before she began to move down the stairs trying not to think about how little time he had and just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. Step down. Step Down. That was all he thought until eventually he could barely stand when he arrived at the first floor.

He leaned briefly against the wall before his aching arms and legs couldn't take it any more and he sank down the wall coughing heavily. He tried to haul himself back up but couldn't. The roar of the flames was filling his ears and he closed his eyes briefly.  
>An image of he and Tali dancing earlier that evening flashed before him and he sighed at the memory of Tali laughing. "Tali" he murmured "Ziva" and the thought of his two girls was what gave him the strength to haul himself to his feet and lift Maria up again.<p>

Choking over the smoke he staggered down the stairs pausing again at the bottom before he looked around. Panic filled him when he couldn't see the exit and he swore "come on come on" he muttered searching frantically as his knees began to buckle.  
>Suddenly strong arms were pulling him back up and something was being pressed over his mouth and nose as he heard shouting and some of Maria's weight was relieved from him but he kept hold of her wanting to know that she would get out. The next thing he knew whoever it was who had come in for them was shoving him in a specific direction and he didn't argue, he just allowed himself to get shoved forwards and then suddenly he was falling through a door out into the clean air again and then the pavement was rushing up to greet him.<p>

The next thing he knew someone was shaking him roughly shouting his name and he mumbled in protect before he suddenly sat up and bent over in a heavy fit of coughing. Then a hand collided with the back of his scull and a very familiar voice growled "God dammit DiNozzo what the hell were you thinking." He smiled weakly and closed his eyes "hey boss" he mumbled.

XO

Ziva was standing trying to assist the police officers at keeping curious bystanders back. Tali was still attached to her hip and was coughing gently. Every few seconds Ziva would glance over her shoulder at their burning building hoping to see Tony coming out, but so far no luck.

Eventually as Tali's coughing got worse Ziva looked down at her "are you ok baby" she asked gently and Tali shook her head "mommy my chest hurts" she whimpered "ok baby it's ok" Ziva whispered reassuringly kissing her "lets go see if the doctors can help shall we."

She headed over to one of the ambulances and explained to the paramedics how Tali had been in the fire and her chest was now hurting praying that there would be something they could do for her. The paramedics had her sit with Tali on a gurney and gave her an oxygen mask. Tali wasn't too keen on the idea of wearing the mask so Ziva had to show her that it was ok before she eventually allowed Ziva to hold it over her mouth and nose and Tali seemed to relax with it on and it seemed to soothe her lungs slightly. All around the people who lived in their building were sitting breathing in pure oxygen or being checked out. She could hear the wails of other children and saw parents trying to comfort them.

She spotted a little girl standing on her own then and she frowned. "Jess" she called to their neighbour who was sitting a few feet away "Who is that?" Jess looked over and her face saddened "Maya Evens" she said "her father was rushed to hospital, her mother works nights so must not be here." Instantly Ziva moved away from Tali towards the little girl "hello Maya" she said gently crouching down in front of the scared little girl "I'm Ziva, where's your mommy" "working" Maya whispered looking very upset before she coughed "daddy gone to hospital." "It's ok" Ziva soothed "does your chest hurt Maya?" She nodded.

"Come with me honey and we will make you feel better" she said holding out her arms and after a moment's hesitation Maya lifted her own arms and Ziva lifted her up. She had seen Maya around before and she knew she was of a similar age to Tali which was why she hated the idea of her being all alone. She felt Maya snuggle close to her like Tali did when she wanted comfort as she carried her back to where Tali sat with Gibbs. She saw that he had already gotten another oxygen mask for Maya and she nodded gratefully to him as she set Maya down.

"Maya this is Tali. Tali this is Maya" she quickly introduced "now Maya can you wear a mask like Tali? It will make your chest hurt less." Shyly Maya nodded and Ziva helped her slip it on "good girl" she praised before she looked over at Gibbs spotting Tali and Maya both smile shyly at each other as she did so.

When Gibbs met her gaze she held it "how long has it been" she asked and he looked at her sombrely "longer than I am happy with" he said and they both looked over at the building. "Come on Tony" she whispered and staying next to the two girls she stared at the building. A tense minute passed before she let out a small moan and Gibbs swore under his breath before he looked at her "give me your scarf" he said and Ziva quickly unwound the scarf from around her neck and handing it to him as he zipped up his jacket "you stay there" he said firmly "do you hear me you stay there with the girls, you don't come in" and before she could stop him he was running towards the building "Gibbs wait" Ziva cried out but he was already gone.

Ziva groaned feeling restless and helpless as she stared at the building from where she stood by the ambulances with Jess and the two girls. As the seconds ticked by agonizingly slow she felt her anxiety increase.

She looked back down at Tali who was staring up at her confused and more emotions rushed through her as her mind jumped ahead of itself and she feared what she would tell Tali.

That was when she heard the fire-fighters shouting and she whirled round to see Gibbs staggering back out of the building dragging someone else out after him, who he was assisting to carry a young unconscious women. "Tony" Ziva cried and instantly she was running towards them. She almost felt her heart stop when she saw Tony collapse to the ground and she put on an extra burst of speed as Gibbs handed the unconscious girl to a paramedic before he bent over Tony and began to shake him.

To Ziva's relief Tony sat up suddenly coughing heavily as he sucked in lungfuls of clean air before wincing as Gibbs' hand collided with the back of his scull. As she neared Ziva heard Gibbs growl "god dammit DiNozzo what the hell were you thinking?" Tony smiled weakly as he bent over "hey boss" he mumbled before looking up "what you doing here" he asked.

Before Gibbs could answer though Ziva had fallen to her knees beside them. "Tony" she gasped and Tony looked up and smiled before opening his arms and Ziva all but fell into them hugging him tightly "Ziva" he murmured "hey." She hugged him tightly before hearing him murmur "I assure you it was not Tali and I who burnt the place down" she let out a choking laugh as she hugged him "damm you" she whispered "you scared me, I was so worried when I saw the building on fire, I was scared you and Tali hadn't gotten out."

"Course we did" he murmured stroking her hair "I would never let anything happen to our ninja" He pulled away to look at her as more paramedics came rushing over "is she ok" he asked concerned and Ziva nodded "she is coughing a lot but the medics don't seem to think that she has any serious injuries." He breathed a sigh of relief and allowed Gibbs and Ziva to help him to his feet and follow the paramedics over to the ambulances.

Tony smiled as he spotted Tali sitting on the edge of a gurney waving at him "hey ninja" he called "you ok princess." Tali nodded to him as he sat down on the gurney next to her and he hugged her tightly before taking the proffered oxygen mask and for a minute he just sat there gratefully breathing in the pure oxygen.

That was when he spotted Maya and he frowned confused "Um Ziva who's that" he asked and Ziva smiled "that's Maya" she said "her dad was rushed to hospital and her mother is at work and I didn't like the idea of her being all alone." Tony nodded watching as Tali moved back to her original seat next to Maya and began to show her Bernie and it was rather comical to see Maya's shocked expression when Tali made the stuffed hippo fart.

They were taken to the hospital then. Ziva was allowed to ride with Tony as she told the paramedics she needed to care for Maya and Tali and she did. When they arrived at the hospital she followed the two girls for their check up whilst Tony was taken to the emergency ward for his own check up.

Whilst Maya and Tali were being checked over Ziva and Gibbs had McGee find Maya's mother's number and Gibbs called her to let her know what happened. Both girls were pronounced fine so Ziva took them out to the waiting room and sat with Gibbs watching them play. "Think Tali has found a little friend there Ziver" Gibbs commented as they sat waiting for news and Ziva nodded with a smile "that is good" she said "it would be nice for her to have a friend in the building."

Gibbs nodded "You did good back there" he said and Ziva looked at him questioningly "I am proud of how you took Maya into your protection" he elaborated "you had so much on your plate; caring for Tali, worrying about Tony yet you went and managed to comfort a very scared little girl."

Ziva smiled weakly "I couldn't just leave her there alone" she whispered and she looked over at the two girls. "I saw her and all I saw was Tali" she whispered "I wasn't there, just like her mother wasn't there, what if Tony had been the one rushed to hospital and it was Tali standing alone? I hated the idea of Tali being in her situation so I took her out of that situation."

Gibbs took her shoulder "you did good" he said gently "and don't feel guilty about not being there Ziver, you can't be there all the time, no one can. And if you had been there the only difference would be that you would be in that emergency room with Tony coughing up a storm, it is because you weren't there that you are able to be here for Tali and Maya." Ziva smiled gratefully to him and nodded.

They waited around another hour before they called both girls over and took them down to the café and bought them some breakfast and watched them eat. They had just arrived back at the waiting room and were waiting for news on Tony when Maya suddenly twisted in Ziva's arms and called out "mommy."

Turning Ziva spotted a terrified looking women rushing out of the elevator looking around panicked, when she heard Maya call out and she spotted her with Ziva a look of immense relief spread across her face. "Maya" she breathed and she rushed forward and Ziva carefully transferred the young girl into her mother's arms understanding the relief and delight that was evident on her face as she hugged her daughter.

She felt a tug at her trouser leg and looked down to see Tali standing with her arms up asking to be lifted. She had been happy to stay with Gibbs whilst Ziva cared for Maya, but now that Maya was with her mother, Tali wanted her mommy back. She smiled and scooped her daughter up into her arms and kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you Ziva" Maya's mother who Ziva now remembered was called Amanda whispered "thank you for caring for her whilst I couldn't." Ziva smiled "it wasn't a problem, she was as good as what is it… gold." Gibbs nodded with a smile and filled Amanda in on everything they knew about her husband.

By the time he had finished a doctor came out and told them that they could see everyone who had been in the blaze. Eagerly Ziva carried Tali into the ward down the isle in search of Tony.

Eventually she spotted him sitting up in a bed and she smiled as she slipped round the curtains "hey who's that" she whispered to Tali and Tali grinned when she spotted her dad. "Daddy" she chimed and Tony looked up and beamed at the sight of them "hey there's my girls" he said sounding a little hoarse. Tali leaned out and Ziva quickly set her on the bed grinning as she crawled over to her daddy who scooped her up into a big bear hug squeezing her tightly making her giggle.

He hugged her tightly before he looked up at Ziva and held out one arm to her and she smiled as she leaned forward to hug him "hey you ok" she asked and Tony nodded before he kissed the top of her head "doc says I am gonna be fine" he murmured "and I'll be back to annoying you in about an hour once my release papers have been signed although I have to take a couple of days off work though that might be hard depending on what happened to our home." He pulled an apprehensive face "what's the verdict on the apartment" he asked as though dreading the answer.

Gibbs stepped forward "We don't know much and we also don't know how it started" he said "and we won't know about your apartment until tomorrow." Tony pulled a face "esh that's going to cause a problem for us" he said. "Why is it a problem" Gibbs asked and both Tony and Ziva stared at him confused. "You can stay at my place for as long as you need" Gibbs said "Oh no Gibbs we couldn't intrude" Ziva said "yes you can" Gibbs said giving her a look "can't let you slum in a hotel when there are rooms in my house that you can use" Tony smiled "thanks boss" he said in relief and Gibbs nodded with a wink. That was when Tony turned serious "were there any casualties" he asked and Gibbs sighed "they are still searching the building but we know that thanks to you there certainly wasn't at least one"

Tony smiled weakly "how is Maria" he asked and Gibbs smiled "last I heard the doctors had high hopes for her to make a full recovery." Tony instantly looked relieved

They waited whilst the other survivors were checked over before Tony was given a final examination and released though told to take it easy for a couple of days. They then headed down to Gibbs' car and headed back to his house.

"Make yourselves at home" Gibbs said gruffly as they all entered. Ziva smiled as she adjusted her grip on an exhausted Tali who had fallen asleep in the car and was now still sleeping on her mothers shoulder. "Come with me and we'll put her to bed" Gibbs said and slowly and carefully Ziva made her way up the stairs into the room he indicated and she carefully lay Tali on the large bed and covered her with the blankets smiling as she rolled over hooking her arm securely over Bernie before falling back into a deep slumber. She kissed the top of her head lovingly before she slipped out of the room closing the door quietly.

Turning she found Gibbs and Tony waiting on the landing. "You two take the main bedroom" Gibbs said "I'll sleep on the couch… I do anyway" he said as they made to protest "Now DiNozzo get in there, doc said lots of rest." Tony nodded slowly, he looked pretty beat "night boss" he murmured before kissing Ziva's forehead "you coming in" he asked "in a few minutes" she said softly and he touched her shoulder before disappearing into the bedroom.

Gibbs looked at Ziva before he jerked his head and she nodded and followed him down the stairs sitting down as he made coffee. "What's on your mind Ziver" he asked gently as he placed a cup of coffee in front of her.

She didn't answer at first; she just watched the steam curling up from her mug. "I am worried about the cause of the fire" she said looking up at him "about how efficient it was, it spread through the building extremely quickly." He looked at her "you think it was a professional job" he noted "by who." She paused again before looking up at him "my father has been spying on me" she said "I have seen his agents watching me, whilst at crime scenes, interviewing suspects, food shopping… when out with Tali" her voice quivered and Gibbs reached out "why didn't you mention this before Ziver" he asked gently. "I didn't want to worry everyone" she whispered "I have seen them before and they always go away after a week but this time they have been around for longer."

Gibbs thought "you think your father wants to kill you" he asked but she shook her head "Not me" she said "Tony and Tali." she looked up at him "they are my life" she said "they mean everything to me, the thought of loosing them…" she broke off "the one night Tony went home to Tali this week instead of me was tonight, and tonight was the night of the fire. I might just be paranoid Gibbs but…"

"Hey" he said squeezing her hand "hey you're not paranoid you're just worried about your family" he looked at her with those clear blue eyes that could read her like an open book "we won't know the cause of the fire until tomorrow" he said "then we will know if your father is involved, but until then go to bed Ziver, it has been a very long day"

She slowly nodded and rose to her feet smiling as Gibbs moved over and gently hugged her "it'll be ok Ziver" he said "we won't let anything happen to them" she sighed and briefly closed her eyes momentarily feeling safe and secure in those father-like arms.

"Goodnight Gibbs" she whispered "goodnight Ziver" he said and slowly she moved up the stairs pausing momentarily when she noticed that the door to the bedroom Tali had been sleeping in was open. She frowned before she pushed open the door to the main bedroom and stopped and smiled.

Tony was lying sleeping soundly in the bed breathing heavier than usual but he seemed comfortable. And curled up next to him, wrapped in his arms was their daughter, also sleeping soundly. Ziva smiled and stood watching them for a moment before she slowly moved forward and slipped under the covers. Tony stirred as he felt her enter the bed lying on the other side of Tali "Ziva" he murmured "shh" she whispered "go back to sleep." He let out a mumble but did as he was told.

Ziva watched him feeling an ache in her chest before she looked down at her daughter sleeping with her thumb in her mouth and hippo under her arm. Slowly she stroked curls out of her face before she gently rested her head back down and closed her eyes joining her family in peaceful dreams.

**Hope you liked it. At first I only started the fire so they could move in with Gibbs cus I thought it would be cute but I think there could be some sub-plots now due to it.**

**Please let me know what you think. I love reviews. They really inspire me. Also if you have any suggestions please don't hesitate to let me know**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl**


	33. Chapter 33

**Hi guys – I am so so sorry about how long it has been since I have updated this story but life is determined to keep me from you. I have had coursework and I was in India over Christmas and then I fell ill from my holiday and well life has been hectic. Happy New Year to you all though and enjoy this chapter:**

Chapter 33 – Protect My Family

When Ziva awoke the next morning it took her a few seconds to realise where she was and to remember what had happened last night. Shifting carefully she looked at Tony who was still sleeping and she was relieved to see that his breathing was lighter than it had been last night. Tali was still curled up next to her daddy clutching her hippo in a vice like grip.

Ziva stared at them both feeling relief rush through her that they were both ok and hadn't been seriously harmed in the fire. Her previous worries from the night before came back to her and she shivered at the thought of someone trying to murder her husband and daughter especially the thought of it being her father.

Slowly she sat up and swung her legs out of the bed before she slipped off and moved towards the door. Slowly she slipped out of the room and moved down the stairs to find it deserted. After she had poked around in the cupboards and had found a nearly empty jar of coffee she made two cups of the warm drink and knowing where Gibbs was most likely to be she moved over to the door to the basement and pulled it open and smiled when she heard the sound of sanding.

Slowly she moved down the stairs and sat on the bottom step watching Gibbs sand at one of the beams. He didn't acknowledge her but she knew he was acutely aware of her being there. Eventually he stopped sanding to examine his work before he turned to look at her. "That coffee" he asked and she nodded holding out one of the cups to him which he took nodding his thanks to her. "You ok" he asked and she nodded not saying anything. He seemed to understand as he squeezed her shoulder gently before moving over to his workbench where he seemed to be working on something smaller for the boat.

"How's Tony and Tali" he asked and Ziva sighed as she stood up and moved into the basement. "Tali seems fine, slept with us though last night. Tony seems better. His breathing is better this morning which is a relief." Gibbs nodded; they had both been slightly worried about the wellbeing of Tony's lungs knowing they had been weakened when he had contracted the plague all those years ago. But the doctor who had examined him hadn't seemed worried by Tony's health.

She moved over to the boat and ran her hand slowly up and down the smooth wooden beam. "Have you heard anything" she asked and Gibbs shook his head "Arson investigators were searching the place when I last called; I asked for a copy of their findings" he slowly looked up at her "are you going to tell Tony about your suspicions" he asked and she sighed looking into those bright blue eyes that were evaluating her.

Slowly she shook her head "not until I am sure" she whispered "I don't want to freak him out for no reason." Gibbs nodded. "Sounds good but you can't leave him out of it forever Ziver" he cautioned and she nodded but she didn't look at him.

They heard the door creek open and they looked up to see Tali standing at the top of the stairs peering down looking exhausted. "Hello my aheva" Ziva said gently and Tali smiled tiredly before she carefully made her way down the stairs and smiling Ziva lifted her onto her lap and hugged her close kissing the top of her head gently as Tali cuddled close.

She could see sadness and worry in Gibbs' eyes at the thought of anyone trying to hurt Tali who sat there innocently, unaware of any danger she was in. He met her gaze and nodded gently towards the kitchen and slowly she rose "come on then aheva" she murmured lifting Tali into her arms "lets get some breakfast shall we" Tali nodded and Ziva carried her up the stairs into the kitchen where she noticed that Gibbs had obviously stocked up on food for them so she quickly set about making some toast for her daughter whilst Gibbs poured her a cup of juice.

It wasn't that much later that Tony came staggering down the stairs. "Morning" he mumbled "How are you feeling DiNozzo" Gibbs asked and Tony shrugged "little worse for wear but all things considering not that bad" he said as he bent to lift Tali up "hullo princess" he murmured kissing the top of her head gently as she cuddled up to him. "Have you heard anything" he asked Gibbs who shook his head "not yet" he said "Ziver and I will go down there on our way to work"

"What about me" Tony asked and Gibbs fixed him with a steely glare "you are staying here" he said "the doctor told you to rest remember, you and Tali will stay here today and rest up"

Tony pulled a face "But…" he began but Gibbs cut him off "no buts" he said "you will stay here or I will just lock you in Abby's ballistic lab" he warned and Tony pulled a face "ok" he muttered grumpily as he sat down "don't worry I have some of Tali's Disney movies" Gibbs said with a small smile and both Tali and Tony brightened.

Once they were sure they were settled for the day, Ziva and Gibbs left Tony and Tali watching _Tangled _and after calling McGee with a few instructions Gibbs drove them back over to the apartment building where they found arson investigators hard at work. They displayed their badges at the police tape and were directed to the head investigator.

As they picked their way through what was once the lobby Ziva felt an ache in her chest looking around the wreckage that had once been her home now destroyed. "Excuse me" Gibbs said "Are you Detective Hastings" the investigator nodded "and you are" he asked "Special Agent Gibbs NCIS" Gibbs said "This is Special Agent Ziva DiNozzo." Hastings frowned "why are you here" he asked "we haven't even determined the case yet and there are no casualties"

"I live in this building" Ziva said quietly "my husband and daughter were inside during the fire but they escaped from the fifth floor." Hastings raised his eyebrows "fifth" he said "well they were lucky then, the fire started directly below them on the forth floor"

"You have identified the point of origin" Gibbs questioned and Hastings nodded "come on up" he said and he led them to the forth floor "marks indicate that it started in this apartment" he said "the owners are away on vacation, have been for a week, they might have left the stove on or something because at the moment we think it looks like a gas leek" he pointed into the kitchen "that was the stove" he said pointing to a lump of melted metal "it spread quickly, what does concern us is how quickly it spread, you can see that there are marks on the floor here" he indicated to the floor "it could suggest some sort of accelerant"

Gibbs looked at Ziva "where is your apartment in relation to this one" he asked and Ziva swallowed "directly over" she said and Gibbs' jaw tightened "anything familiar" he asked and slowly she donned a pair of gloves and looked around "hard to say" she said "a cut to the gas line was how Mossad used to do it, it creates explosions though, pouring accelerant over the place and then lighting the stove would create something quick and efficient though, especially if they doused the halls, but there would have to be other points of origin to make the building go up like it did"

Gibbs looked at Hastings "did you see any other points of origins" he asked, Hastings looked stunned "haven't checked the higher floors" he said "wait did you say Mossad? As in Israeli Special Forces? You think they did this? Why?"

Gibbs looked him straight in the eye "lets check the other floors" he said firmly and not looking too happy, Hastings complied and led them up to the next floor where sure enough he found marks in the hall indicating another origin. He ordered his men to check the other floors but they found no others. Ziva looked at the door the origin point was outside of and slowly she pushed it open swallowing as she stepped into her apartment.

Most of the living room and kitchen had been destroyed though some things were still recognisable. The granite worktop had mostly survived and remains of a pizza box could be seen stuck to it along with cups and cutlery. The charred heap in the middle of the living room was their sofa where no doubt Tony and Tali had spent the evening curled up enjoying some movies with had now become a heap of melted plastic.

It hurt to see all of their past memories to have gone up in flames and Ziva had to blink to hide tears as she saw the marks from where the fire had spread after Tony had opened the door to flee.

'He had been lucky' she realised, with an ignition point outside the door he had been luck he was able to get out when he did. Hearing Gibbs moving around beside her she quickly made her way into the main bedroom which she was relieved to find mostly intact. The fire-fighters had managed to control the fire and stop it before it had consumed the bedrooms and she knew she was lucky that the whole apartment hadn't been demolished like some had. But she could still smell the smoke in the air, it was still thick and the thought of her husband and tiny daughter choking and gasping for air as the smoke smothered them brought bile to her throat and she bent over retching.

Gibbs moved over and caught hold over her "easy easy Ziver" he murmured stroking her hair but she couldn't stop herself from throwing up. Gibbs held her until she was finished and she was bent over gasping. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him bend to her level. "I'm fine Gibbs" she murmured wiping her mouth "I'm sorry I shouldn't have contaminated the crime scene" "don't worry" Gibbs murmured "you gave the investigators a new lead, I am sure they'll overlook it" she looked at him "Mossad" she questioned "they cannot suspect Mossad Gibbs"

"Don't worry I just told them half the truth, that you used to be Mossad and you were our fire expert and you were just explaining how Mossad used to do it not that Mossad is involved, for now that is our little secret ok, you just pointed out another origin that they hadn't noticed" she nodded "Thank you" she whispered.

Whilst Gibbs sorted things out with the fire department Ziva found some bags and collected some clothes and other precious possessions up to take back to Gibbs' house. She was relieved to find that the dolls Gibbs had given Tali that had once belonged to Kelly were untouched by the flames and she quickly placed them in the bag. Once Gibbs returned he helped her collect up undamaged items and she saw his face soften at the sight of the unharmed dolls.

After they had collected all they could carry they headed out requesting a complete incident file as soon as it was finished before they drove to NCIS where they found McGee at his desk and a very worried Abby hovering beside him. "Oh my god" she cried and flung herself at Ziva "I can't believe what happened, McGee filled me in on what he knew which wasn't much, oh my how are Tony and Tali? They weren't hurt were they?"

Ziva informed them both of her family's health before Gibbs sent Abby back to her lab to run some tests on some evidence they had brought back. Then they both turned to McGee who eyed them warily.

"What we are about to tell you McGee cannot be repeated to anyone" Ziva said "not Ducky, not Abby and certainly not Tony, can you do that" "um yeah" he said looking uncertain "but why can't Tony know"

Gibbs told him Ziva's suspicions causing him to go bug eyed "Tony cannot know McGee" Ziva whispered "he will be mad, you know how protective he is of Tali, he'll be mad, he cannot go up against Mossad, he won't stand a chance, they want him dead anyway, well my father does if my suspicions are correct, he cannot know"

"Why can I know" McGee asked "because I need you to check airport security footage for anyone in Mossad, hack their files and find out if anyone has come in" Ziva said "check at least two weeks back, I have seen them following me but I didn't recognise them"

McGee looked startled when he heard that she was being followed and promised to check every face on the footage. Slowly Ziva settled at her desk and texted Tony asking how he was, he assured her that they were fine and were currently watching _Cars_.

She checked her email as though expecting one from her father telling her he had done it. There was nothing and she sat waiting restlessly for someone to find something. After an hour or so Gibbs beckoned to her and they headed up the stairs. "We need to tell Vance" he said and cut her off as she began to protest "if Mossad is involved he needs to know Ziver, McGee is hacking into their systems, he needs to be aware, this is big Ziver, we cannot leave him out"

Ziva realised he was right and grudgingly nodded and followed him up the stairs, past Vance's secretary and into his office without knocking which didn't surprise their Director. He looked up dryly "what can I do for you Gibbs" he asked before he saw Ziva "I didn't expect to see you in today" he said to her "I thought you would be at home with your husband and daughter after what happened to them. Are they alright?"

"That is why we are here Leon" Gibbs said "what we tell you is strictly confidential, you cannot tell anyone, doing so could seriously hurt Tony, Ziva and their daughter." Vance stood up and moved round his desk gesturing them to sit at the conference table. He looked wary but concerned.

"Tell me" he said once they had settled down. Between the two of them Ziva and Gibbs filled him in on their suspicions; how Ziva had noticed she was being followed, how they had decided last minute that Tony would go to Tali instead of Ziva that night. How that had been the night of the fire. How she had been worried how efficient it was. How her fears had been confirmed when they had checked the building that morning and had found multiple origin points and how it had been made to look like an accident. And how Ziva suspected that her father was behind it.

Vance remained silent throughout their description. Once they had finished, he continued to remain silent. It was only when Ziva repeated her request for Tony to not be informed of this that he spoke up to ask why. And Ziva told him what she had told McGee and he understood.

"Ziva you know I can't just accuse Mossad and your father of causing the fire" he said "do you know how ridiculous it sounds, that your father burned an entire building full of people just to try and kill your family"

"I know it sounds extreme but I know my father and I know he might go to such lengths" Ziva said desperately and Vance sighed "this is difficult Ziva" he said "even if we had proof if I accuse him we could cause the relationship we have been carefully building up with Israel to come crumbling down, that won't be good for anyone you understand"

"I know" Ziva whispered "and my father knows that, he knows he cannot be blamed for this without causing uproar, that is why he did it"

"Then what do you want me to do" Vance asked and Ziva ducked her head for a moment and she gently began to play with her wedding rings twisting them around her finger before she looked up at him.

"Help me protect my family" she whispered.

Vance was silent for a minute before he sighed again and rubbed his forehead "I'll see what I can do" he said "I'll send a couple of agents to be a discrete security detail at your house Gibbs, I'll tell them to make sure DiNozzo doesn't see them, when you get home tonight, you can take over. Ziva take a couple of days off to be with them. I will give you leeway to investigate this fire as long as it does not interfere with any other cases you might have. And I'll do my best to keep Mossad from suspecting though if you have McGee hacking their files and they find out there isn't much I can do"

Gibbs nodded "thank you Leon" he said and he looked at Ziva "go see how McGee is getting on" he said and she nodded and shakily headed out of the office.

Once the door had swung shut Vance looked at Gibbs "how is she" he asked. Gibbs didn't respond at first, he just stared into space before he slowly looked up "I'm not sure" he said finally "she is frightened for her family, worried that it might be her father whilst desperate to protect her husband from finding out the truth. But considering her situation I think she is doing remarkably well"

Vance nodded "keep my updated Gibbs" he said "and don't stay too late tonight, make sure you get her home to her family" Gibbs nodded and rose before he strode out of the office and marched down to the bullpen where he found Ziva and McGee staring at the computer screen, "Anything" he asked and they both looked up "not so far" McGee said "I haven't finished hacking Mossad yet but I am having Ziva see if she recognises anyone getting off a plane from Israel"

Ziva shook her head "no one" she said "but it has been years since I worked for Mossad, my father would probably send people I wouldn't know in case I did figure it out, and they most likely wouldn't take a direct flight from Israel, it would go via somewhere else"

"McGee check all flights that stopped off somewhere else" Gibbs said and McGee nodded "On it" he said.

They worked throughout the rest of the morning trying to locate any Mossad operatives in the area, they had to remind themselves to try and think openly; to consider the possibility that it wasn't Mossad, but it was hard; they had a gut feeling.

It was early afternoon when Ziva's phone rang pulling her out of her thoughts. Quickly she pulled it out and answered **"Hello?"**

"_**Hi Mommy"**_came a small voice that warmed her heart and made her relax as she let out a sigh and smiled. _**"**__Hi baby__**"**_she murmured leaning back in her chair _"are you ok, is daddy ok_"

"_**Yeah we been watching movies all day"**_Tali said _**"It fun"**__ "__Mmmhmm__ I bet it is"_ Ziva said as her smile widened and her gaze fell on a picture of Tali and Tony on her desk showing Tali sitting on Tony's shoulders giggling delightedly at the camera as Tony smiled up at her. _**"Mommy what time you coming home"**_Tali asked and she sighed _"I don't know soon though baby" _she said softly _**"Ok" **_Tali said _**"here's daddy **__**wuv**__** you mommy"**_

"_Love you too baby" _Ziva whispered as she heard a rustle and then Tony spoke up **"Hey my beautiful wife" **he greeted and Ziva raised her eyebrows _"did you just take your pain medication" _she asked **"irrelevant" **Tony teased **"and what is wrong with me calling up and telling my wife she is beautiful"**

Ziva smiled at her dorky husband _"Ok" _ she said _"How are you feeling" _**"yeah not bad" **Tony said dozily **"we have been watching movies all day, it is very nice" **_"I'll bet" _Ziva said **"so how's the case going" **Tony asked and she bit her lip **"ok" **she said **"well you know not much to go on I'll fill you in later ok"**

"**Ok" **Tony said cautiously **"are you ok Ziva you sound tense?" **Ziva took a couple of steadying breaths _"oh I am just stressed" _she whispered _"you know worrying about what we will do now, where we will live, how we will afford it…"_

"**Hey" **Tony said **"we'll be fine Zee, I promise, we'll get through this, like we always do." **_"I know" _Ziva whispered smiling slightly at his optimism _"I have to go Tony, I'll see you later ok"_

"**Ok" **he said **"go fight crime, I love you"**

"_And I love you" _Ziva responded before she slowly she ended the call and set her phone down. Looking up she saw that McGee and Gibbs were watching her. "Are you sure it is a good idea to keep him out of the loop Ziva" McGee asked and Ziva nodded "it is the only way to keep him safe" she implored and slowly they both nodded "ok" Gibbs said "there isn't much more we can do so lets head home ok, McGee take a break, you have been working on that all day"

McGee nodded and slowly shut down his computers as Ziva and Gibbs packed up their things. The drive home was silent with both of them deep in thought, wondering what they were to do.

When they arrived home they emptied the boot and headed into the house where they found Tony and Tali in the kitchen baking "hey" he said "hey" Ziva said "what are you doing" "hope you fancy pizza" Tony said "we got bored of movies which is surprising for us so we decided to make some dinner"

"You are meant to be resting DiNozzo" Gibbs said as he bent to greet Tali who cannoned into his legs "hey sweetpea" he chuckled "yeah well there is only so much resting you can do" Tony said.

"Mommy daddy said we go to cinema tomorrow" Tali said excitedly "really" Ziva said and Tony nodded "there's that new Disney Pixar movie out" he said "um _Frozen _yeah that's what its called, looks cute and since I am stuck at home with her I thought I could take her to the cinema"

"Well" Ziva said "Vance wants me to take the day off tomorrow, he wasn't happy that I came in today so how about we all go" Tony grinned "that sounds great" he said "I like the sound of us all having a day off" Ziva smiled weakly as she ran her hands through Tali's hair as her daughter wrapped her arms around her leg trying to hide her sadness.

She saw Tony frown slightly at her and she realised that she obviously wasn't doing a very good job of hiding her worry so she smiled and moved over to kiss him feeling his arms enclose her in his protective embrace briefly before she pulled away to look at him "come on" she whispered "lets get the food ready" and without waiting for him to answer she pulled away to move into the kitchen where Gibbs was standing next to Tali who was standing on a stool so that she could see onto the counter.

As she moved towards them though she felt Tony grab her arm and she turned to look at him and she saw concern in his eyes "Ziva" he warned "talk to me… what is wrong" she took a shaky breath before she regained her composure "nothing is wrong" she said "I am just tired Tony, I promise, everything will be fine"

Tony didn't look convinced but he released her and followed her into the kitchen. As Ziva helped her daughter make the pizza she could feel two sets of eyes on her as Tony and Gibbs watched her, trying to figure her out. And to avoid them both she kept her head down, trying to decide what she would do next.

**Hope you enjoyed that. Sorry it is short.**

**Once again I apologise for my absence, but I am recovering from my illness and hopefully will find more time to write soon**

**I have finally seen Past Present and Future. No comment. I am refusing to accept it. Holy hell though. Life sucks. Money sucks. Patriarchy Sucks. Rant over. Tears were shed in my house though.**

**Anyway please review and I promise I will try to update soon.**

**Love you all lots**

**Thanks**

**Mystic girl**


	34. Chapter 34

**Hi everyone. I am so so sorry about how long it has taken. I have been soo bogged down in coursework. Still am hehe. Anyway thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 34 – No Idle Threat

A few weeks passed and things returned to normal. Tony returned to work and Tali returned to day care. They continued to live with Gibbs however whilst their apartment was being refurbished. They both loved that apartment, it had everything they could ever need and they didn't want to move yet the thought had crossed Ziva's mind multiple times whilst she had lain awake at night.

She, Gibbs and McGee continued to look into her theory that it was her father who had set the fire without Tony's knowledge. It was hard when he returned to work and whilst they had other cases to investigate but they all continued to look into it worried that her father might try again.

As far as Ziva knew Tony didn't suspect them. He continued to tease them and joke around, pull pranks on poor McGee and they were careful not to do anything that might cause him to suspect.

It was one afternoon three weeks after the fire. Tony and McGee were out interviewing a suspect whilst Ziva and Gibbs ran leads and worked on their own investigation. They were both engrossed in their work when McGee's computer began to bleep.

Frowning Ziva got up and moved over to investigate. When she saw what was on the screen she gave a tiny gasp. Instantly Gibbs rose and moved round to join her bending over to peer at the two images on the screen with the message 'positive match' flashing over them.

The first image had been taken at Dulles airport showing a man walking purposefully out of the arrivals gate taken two weeks before the fire. The second was taken from their apartment building security footage on the night of the fire about 20 minutes before it had started showing the same man walking into the building.

They had only recently acquired the footage from their building. The tape had been damaged and tech had been working to retrieve it. They hadn't got it all but apparently they had saved what they needed.

"Run it through facial recognition" Gibbs said softly and slowly Ziva worked her way through the process as McGee had taught her putting in the suggested field of 'Mossad' to limit the search.

She only had to wait a couple of minutes before she got a response and an ID came up. "Reis Ofer" she said "Israeli, born in Tel Aviv, joined Mossad seven years ago. Came over two weeks before the fire and left two days after." She looked up at Gibbs who's face was unreadable "did he come through with anyone else" he asked "it would take more than one person to survey you and your family and set that fire"

"I don't know" Ziva said "but they wouldn't come through airport security or enter the building at the exact same time, they would do it separately" Gibbs nodded "ok" he said "we'll get McGee to have another look at the tapes when he returns"

Ziva nodded staring at the image of Ofer entering the building. She heard the elevator ding and looked up to see Tony and McGee exiting the elevator. Quickly she closed the search and stood. "Hi" she said "hey" Tony greeted winking "why were you at McGee's desk"

"Oh I um was just trying to check the BOLO" Ziva said "but couldn't figure it out" she saw McGee sit down and obviously notice the minimised search and he clicked it up, his eyes widened briefly before he closed it again and glanced at Gibbs who shook his head telling him not to pursue it yet.

"Yeah you should leave it to McTech-savy" Tony teased and she smiled "did you find anything useful out interviewing the employer" she asked "only that our victim was not the perfect officer he was believed to be" Tony said "apparently he has been written up a good few times for tardy behaviour, suspended twice for fighting and suspected of doing drugs multiple times"

"Well that makes it more likely that someone would want to kill him" Ziva said slowly trying to get her mind back in the current case "and maybe they succeeded" Gibbs added "get hold of his records, find out who he fought with, who complained about him everything. McGee send me the results of that BOLO" he eyed McGee who nodded showing that he understood. "Ziva come with me to MTAC so we can talk to his best friend who is currently deployed" he said and Ziva nodded and followed him up the stairs.

Once they had entered MTAC they found Vance deep in conversation with SecNav so they waited until he had finished and had signed out before they approached their director. They told Vance what they had found out about Reis Ofer and showed him the pictures. Vance nodded looking thoughtful "I don't like this Gibbs" he said "you and me both Leon" Gibbs said eying their boss "what do you plan to do now" Vance asked "have McGee track him, see if he has contact with anyone else who could be his accomplice" Gibbs responded "and if you find him" he asked. Gibbs looked at Ziva who looked at their director "if it pans out then… I will deal with it" she said "I will confront my father, make it clear to him that if he ever tries to hurt my family I will bring him down"

"With what" Vance asked "you have no evidence Ziva" "no but I have a whole childhood filled with his dirty little secrets" Ziva said "I know things that he did that will not look good for him if they go public" Vance considered it "see how things turn out" he said "I don't like the idea of you going up against the director of Mossad though Ziva" "it won't be through the agency" Ziva said "it will be a family dispute, not an inter-agency dispute I promise"

"Ok" Vance said "now get back down to the bullpen before DiNozzo suspects" "actually we need to contact our victim's best friend" Gibbs said "he is deployed at the moment" Vance nodded and wished them luck before he left MTAC.

They interviewed the best friend of their victim who gave them no new leads for their case. Ziva felt frustrated; she was exhausted from juggling her investigation and other cases together whilst trying to keep Tony out of it and Tali safe. Once their interview had ended she sank into one of the seats putting her head in her hands briefly.

"Ziver" Gibbs murmured "it'll be ok", she looked up at him tiredly "how" she whispered "the more we find out about this case, the more I have to lie to Tony, I hate it Gibbs but it is the only way to protect him."

Gibbs nodded "we'll get through this" he promised "just like we have gotten through everything else, we will get through this Ziver" she smiled weakly at him "I know" she whispered.

Slowly they headed down the stairs and Ziva quickly told them all that she was going to go get Tali. She needed some more time to compose herself and she quickly left the bullpen before Tony could sense that something was wrong.

On the drive to Tali's playgroup her mind was whirling. Someone from Mossad had been in her apartment just before the fire had started, this frightened her as it most likely meant that he had started the fire. That meant that her father had most likely decided that her family was a loose end that needed to be tied up.

But what could she do? She couldn't accuse her father of trying to kill them. That was too risky. She couldn't use NCIS, that would be even riskier. There was only one thing that she could do. Confront her father face to face.

She pulled up outside of the daycare and closed her eyes breathing heavily. How on earth could she do that? She would have to go to Israel to do that and it was dangerous in itself. Plus it would be hard to hide that from Tony. Should she tell him? She knew it was risky keeping him out of it but it was the best way to keep him safe. He was so protective of Tali. If he knew that Mossad had tried to kill her who knew how mad he would be? He would become obsessed with trying to protect her, with making sure Mossad didn't try again. She wouldn't be able to protect him, especially not from himself.

She sat for another few minutes in the car breathing heavily before she managed to regain her composure and she quickly slipped out of the car and headed into the centre. She felt her worries fade away as she spotted Tali finger painting with some of her friends. Slowly she made her way over smiling at the delight on her daughter's face as she giggled. Tali spotted her when she was halfway across the room and she grinned.

"Mommy" she exclaimed and ran over excitedly "look I've been finger painting." "Yes I see aheva careful where you put those mucky fingers" Ziva warned fighting to appear serious when she just wanted to laugh at her paint covered daughter; Tali had paint all up her arms, all over her face and streaks of green in her hair. Bath time certainly would be fun tonight.

"Ok lets wash your hands" she said and she steered her daughter to the sinks and crouched next to her as she rubbed at the paint watching as it slipped down the drain wishing her troubles could be washed away just as easily.

Once she had removed the worst of the paint from her hands she lifted Tali into her arms and after collecting her bag and coat and thanking the caregivers she carried Tali out to her car.

"Mommy" Tali asked as Ziva carefully helped her strap in "yes aheva" Ziva asked "how long we stay with grandpa" she asked. Ziva sighed "I don't know sweetheart" she whispered "until it is safe to move back into the apartment ok" "ok" Tali said "mommy" she said again. "Yes" Ziva asked "who dat mommy" Tali asked pointing over Ziva's shoulder.

Ziva looked over to see a man leaning against a black car watching her and Tali keenly. He had Middle Eastern skin, dark hair with matching eyes and a small smirk on his face. Ziva felt her breath catch in her throat as she stared at him. She knew him.

"Who is dat mommy" Tali asked again "I don't know baby" she whispered "wait here whilst I go see ok" Tali nodded and pulled Bernie out of her bag and began to play. Slowly Ziva took a few steps over towards the man expecting him to flee once he knew he had been made. But he didn't move. He just watched her walk over.

When she was within hearing distance he called "Shalom Ziva." She took a few more steps closer before she stopped. "Shalom Shai" she said softly "what are you doing here" Shai smirked "what do you think Ziva" he asked "watching you of course, watching you and your family, your daughter is cute, she is very good at finger painting. I can see she is a lot like you, she doesn't let the little boys in there boss her around."

Ziva fought to hide her fear. He had been watching her daughter all day. "Did you help Reis Ofer burn down my apartment" she asked angrily. He looked surprised that she knew that but quickly recovered "hmm not bad Ziva, yes I did, it is a shame your husband managed to get out on time. When he went back in to save that girl I hoped he wouldn't make it out, but unfortunately he did. Our boss wasn't very happy when he learned that we had failed."

"Your boss" Ziva said quickly "you mean my father." He stared lazily at her not giving her an answer "it is good to see you Ziva" he said "it has been a while and you have changed, you are so soft now. I saw how you reacted when you arrived at the fire. I saw you cuddling your daughter, care for that other little girl and hug your husband. How you have changed my dear and not for the better"

Ziva glowered angrily at him. Just then she heard a small call of "mommy" and she whirled round to catch hold of Tali as she ran towards her "I told you to wait in the car Tali" she said harsher than she intended and Tali flinched and her big greenie eyes widened. Instantly Ziva softened "come here baby" she whispered and she scooped Tali up into her arms hugging her close feeling guilty that she had gotten stressed and snapped at her daughter.

She turned back to Shai who was watching looking amused "see what I mean" he said "you are soft Ziva." Slowly he straightened and turned to open his car door "I'll be seeing you again no doubt Ziva" he called "bye bye little Tali" he called waving to Tali.

Ziva leapt forward and grabbed his arm making sure she kept herself between Shai and her daughter. Quickly she spoke in rapid Hebrew so Tali wouldn't understand. _"Listen Shai, you tell your boss that if he ever comes near my family or tries to hurt them again I will end him. I will kill him. Do you understand? You tell anyone who wants to hurt me that should they come anywhere near my family I will not hesitate to hurt them. Do not take my threat lightly Shai." _

She shoved him against his car _"Still think I am soft" _she hissed before she released him and took a few steps back glaring at him before she turned and marched back to the car. "What did he want mommy" Tali asked hesitantly "he was lost" Ziva said quietly "why did you get out of the car Tali I told you to wait for me" "your phone was ringing" Tali said holding out the phone and Ziva took it to see that she had missed a call from Gibbs.

"Ok thank you baby" she said as she carefully strapped Tali back into her seat before she turned and clambered into the driving seat glancing over to see that Shai had driven off. Quickly she called Gibbs.

"**Ziver" **he said **"Tony is with Abby it is safe to talk, McGee identified Ofer's accomplice"**

"_So did I" _Ziva said as she started the engine _"Shai Hadvr" _

"**How did you know" **Gibbs asked sounding surprised.

"_He was at Tali's daycare" _Ziva said.

There was silence over the phone.

"**Come straight here Ziva" **Gibbs said sharply** "you hear me, come straight back here" **"_already on my way" _Ziva said as she gunned the car out of the parking lot. Tali sat quietly in the back obviously very confused as to why her mommy had shouted at her. Ziva couldn't even remember the last time she had raised her voice at Tali and now she had snapped out at her for no reason. She looked in the back "so what did you paint today my love" she asked as brightly as she could and Tali looked at her hesitantly "I painted us at Grandpa's house" she said shyly holding up the picture for Ziva to see in the rear view mirror. "That's lovely my darling" Ziva praised enthusiastically and Tali smiled uncertainly "I stick it on grandpa's fridge" she asked and Ziva nodded "I am sure grandpa will love it tateleh" she said.

When they arrived at NCIS she lifted her daughter up into her arms and carried her past security where she knew they were safe and once in the elevator she set Tali down watching her as the doors opened and she ran into the bullpen "grandpa" she called excitedly and the worried expression on Gibbs' face vanished at the sight of her and quickly he moved round his desk and bent to scoop her up "hey sweetpea" he said hugging her tightly "look at you what have you been doing all day" "finger painting" Tali exclaimed excitedly "look I painted dis to put of your fridge" she proudly showed him her painting and like a saint Gibbs oo'ed and ah'ed over it until Tony reappeared.

"Hey boss" he said "sorry Abby wanted a hand with something" "no worries" Gibbs said as he set Tali down and she instantly ran over to her father calling "daddy daddy" excitedly and he grinned as he bent allowing her to knock him over so that they landed in a heap on the floor and he progressed to tickling her making her giggle and shriek.

"Tony" Ziva warned "there are people trying to work in this building" "oh yeah forgot about that" Tony said sitting up grinning at his daughter before doing a double take when he saw her covered in paint "eh what happened to the painting overalls" he asked examining his daughter "I wore one but it didn't cover my arms or my hair or my face" Tali said grinning "mmm I see" Tony said as he hauled himself to his feet "straight in the bath when we get home hmm?" Tali just giggled.

She followed Tony over to his desk and hopped up onto his lap where she sat playing with a few of her toys whilst they worked until it was time to go. She swung from Tony's hand as they headed to the cars which kept him distracted whilst Gibbs and Ziva surreptitiously looked around for any sight of Hadvr. When she got home she selected her father to do bath time, something that didn't escape Gibbs' notice.

"Why is Tali suddenly very clingy to Tony" he asked as they began to prepare some dinner for them all. Ziva glanced towards the stairs making sure that they weren't in earshot before she ducked her head. "I snapped at her" she whispered "I told her to wait in the car whilst I confronted Hadvr but she climbed out to tell me my phone was ringing. I panicked because Hadvr was taunting me and I spun on her and snapped at her… you should have seen her face she looked so shocked and wary of me. I instantly picked her up and hugged her but I was so stressed. She was so quiet in the car, she seemed almost unsure of me"

"Ziva Tali knows you didn't mean it don't worry" Gibbs said "she'll get over it soon, she is young, she'll forget about it soon enough, but you can't let your stress get out of control like that again, you can't get mad at her for no reason again"

"I know" Ziva whispered "I feel bad though Gibbs, I never shout at her, and today I what is it? _Laid_ into her for no reason." Gibbs nodded "It'll be ok Ziver" he murmured "you don't know that" she whispered "you can't guarantee it" "doesn't mean I don't believe it" he said and she looked up into his bright blue eyes that stared truthfully at her.

At that moment they heard footfalls on the stairs and then Tony came in with Tali in her pyjamas "hey ho our little rainbow princess is our beautiful clean princess once again" he said. Ziva instantly forced a smile onto her face "oh look at you my love all clean again" she said with a smile reaching out to her daughter and Gibbs saw Tali hesitate for only a split second before she lifted her arms allowing her mother to catch hold of her and then cuddle her close. Ziva sighed in relief as she kissed the top of her daughter's head holding her tight before she set her back down. "Go with daddy and wash your hands ready for dinner" she instructed and Tali nodded before she ran over to Tony and grabbed his hand leading him over to the bathroom whilst Ziva headed over to the dining room table to set it up.

As she was setting the cutlery she paused as her instincts kicked in and she sensed someone watching her. Slowly she looked up and stared out the living room window and froze as she saw Hadvr standing on the opposite side of the road staring through the window at her grinning at the terror he was creating.

"Gibbs" Ziva whispered and Gibbs looked up "what's wrong" he asked when he saw her standing there frozen. She dragged her gaze away from Hadvr to stare at him panicked "he's here" she whispered.

Instantly Gibbs dropped what he was doing and moved over to stand beside her. Ziva looked out the window and was startled when she saw that Hadvr had disappeared again. "He was there" she said frantically turning to look at Gibbs "he was standing there… grinning at me." "Everything ok" Tony asked coming out of the bathroom with Tali right behind him. Shakily Ziva nodded.

At that moment the doorbell rang and Ziva and Gibbs froze. "I'll get it" Tony said turning. Instantly Ziva snapped to it and she dashed past him grabbing her gun from the table beside the door pressing it against her leg as she dashed forward "I have got it" she said quickly "you get dinner ready" she added as she dashed to the front door as Gibbs moved forward reaching for his own gun.

Slowly Ziva opened the door letting out a small hiss when she saw Hadvr standing on the doorstep. "Hello" he said pleasantly "I was just passing and I saw this lying on the pavement and I thought it might belong to a little girl who lives here." He held out a soft white cat toy that belonged to Tali.

Ziva sensed someone coming up beside her and she realised that it was Tali, peering round the door uncertainly and she instantly shifted, reaching out to catch hold of Tali's hand whilst keeping herself between Hadvr and her daughter once again. Hadvr smiled at the sight of Tali and he bent and held out the toy to her and Ziva had to resist the urge to break his arm for getting so close to Tali. She saw the look of confusion on Tali's face as she reached out to the toy and she felt her stomach clench as she realised that Tali must recognise him from the daycare car park.

"Thank you" Tali mumbled and she cuddled the toy close as Ziva gently pushed her backwards. "Tali go get ready for dinner" she said quietly and Tali nodded before she turned and scampered back into the house.

Ziva turned back to Hadvr instantly lifting her gun "back off" she hissed furiously as she stepped onto the porch. "Ziva" she heard Gibbs murmur catching hold of her shoulder but she shrugged away angrily "I told you to stay away" she snapped "Just leave Shai _now_, tell my father to leave me and my family alone, if I ever see anyone watching me or my family again I will kill them"

"I was simply returning the toy Ziva" Hadvr said smugly as Ziva glowered at him toying with the idea of pulling the trigger of the gun she had aimed at his heart. "Ziva" Gibbs said more firmly taking her shoulder with one hand and shoving her gun down with his other "get in the house" Ziva didn't move; she just glared at Hadvr "Ziva" Gibbs warned before he caught hold of her shoulders and gave her a little shake forcing her to look at him "get in the house" he said again "I'll deal with him now go" he gave her another shove pushing her into the house.

Ziva turned to see him moving forward to tower over Hadvr "now you listen to me" he said dangerously "you had better clear off, get out of here, go back to Israel, tell Director David to leave Ziva alone, if he tries to hurt her or her family one more time then I swear I will come down on him with everything I have, he should know that that is no idle threat" he gave Hadvr a shove off of his porch before he turned and moved into the house locking the door behind him.

Once he was done he turned to look at her and for the first time she saw a hint of true worry in his eyes. "Um hey" Tony suddenly said appearing from the kitchen frowning "who was that?" "Just a passer by" Gibbs said quietly "he saw Tali's toy lying on the path and brought it in so it wouldn't get destroyed."

Tony looked at the toy and frowned "what is it" Ziva asked "nothing it is just… I thought that toy was in the apartment when it burned" Tony said staring at the toy "we couldn't find it when we went back, I thought it burned"

Ziva looked at the toy and felt a jolt in her stomach as she recognised it. Indeed Tony was right; that toy sat vigil on the end of Tali's bed, 'Snowflake' she called it. She reached out and gently took it from Tali. That was when she spotted a splash of colour on the white fur and she quickly dropped it to her side "I will give it a wash" she said "we don't know how long it has been outside" she quickly headed to the basement where she filled a tub with warm water. After taking a few deep breaths she looked back at the toy turning it over to expose its tummy where she had noticed the colour. And it wasn't just any colour.

Snowflake's stomach was stained a brilliant red; blood red. Upon closer inspection Ziva realised that it was just red paint but the message was clear. This was a direct threat.

She sensed Gibbs approaching and he gave a small curse as he saw the message. Ziva looked up at him. "I have white spirit" he said "we'll soak the toy and that should get rid of the paint" "not the message though" she whispered.

Gibbs didn't respond at first he just squeezed her shoulder "come on" he said "lets eat dinner." Leaving the toy lying on the side they both headed up the stairs where they found Tali and Tony mock wrestling on the floor with Tali giggling delightedly. "Tony, Tali come eat dinner" Ziva called and they both instantly rolled free of each other and dashed to the table.

Dinner was moderately quiet. Gibbs and Ziva were both thinking about what they were going to do and Tali seemed to be crashing and was struggling to stay awake and Tony was doing the usual bargaining techniques to get her to eat her vegetables. Ziva stared at her plate picking at the food lost in her own little world until she heard Tony calling her and she looked up blankly "what" she asked. Tony gave her a look "boy you are out of it today" he commented "Tali wants you to read her bedtime story tonight."

Ziva looked over at her daughter who was watching her curiously and she smiled "I would love to" she said "have you finished Tali." her daughter nodded and slowly Ziva rose "alright then" she said "come on then lets go and read a story" she said and she assisted her daughter up the stairs and into the room that Gibbs had given her. She sat on the edge of the bed watching as Tali knelt in front of the box of books trying to decide which story she wanted.

When she had decided she carried it over to the bed and scrambled up next to Ziva who smiled "what are we reading tonight then aheva" "dis one mommy" Tali giggled and Ziva smiled as she caught hold of the book "alright then" she said softly holding out her arm for Tali to cuddle close as she opened the story and began to read not noticing how out in the hallway Tony paused to watch and listen.

"Once there was a baby star. He lived up near the sun. And every night at bedtime that baby star wanted to have fun. He would shine and shine and fall and shoot and twinkle oh so bright. And he said 'Mommy I'll run away if you make me say goodnight"

She looked down at Tali as she turned the page to see her daughter snuggled up with Bernie under her arm and her eyes flicking over the colourful pictures eagerly. She smiled before she continued.

"And then his mommy kissed his sparkly nose and said…" she looked down at Tali who looked up at her before she continued, still gazing at her daughter "no matter where you go, no matter where you are, no matter how big you grow and even if you stray far… I'll love you forever… cause you'll always be my baby star" she finished.

Tali smiled up at her "night night mommy" she mumbled "love you." Ziva smiled and bent to kiss her daughter hugging her tightly "night night my Tali" she responded "I love you too… my little baby star." She slipped out of the bed tucking her daughter in under the covers before she carefully slipped out of the room closing the door lightly behind her before turning and letting out a small gasp of surprise as she found Tony standing behind her. "Tony" she gasped "you scared me" "yeah I noticed" Tony said looking at her carefully "what is going on Ziva, I can never make you jump, you have been on edge all day… what is going on"

Ziva dropped her head "nothing Tony I am just stressed about everything. It has been a difficult couple of weeks and all and it is all catching up to me" Tony looked at her and she carefully hid her emotions as she had been trained staring up at him. "Hey everything is going to be ok" Tony said "we'll get through this, just like we always do" she nodded and moved into his arms "I love you Tony" she mumbled "I love you too Zee" he murmured and she felt him kiss the top of her head.

They stood there for a few minutes before Tony rubbed her back "you coming to bed" he asked and she nodded "in a minute" she said "I just need to get a glass of water from downstairs" Tony nodded and after kissing her again he headed into their room.

Ziva stared after him before she looked between the two closed doors and then she slowly headed down the stairs into the basement where she found Gibbs using white spirit to try and remove the red paint from Tali's toy. When he heard her enter he looked up.

"Ziva" he questioned "what's wrong"

She stared at him for a minute before she blurted out:

"I'm going to Israel"

**Haha hope you enjoyed that. The story Ziva read to Tali I got from an episode of Criminal Minds. It seemed fitting for that moment so no copyright infringement intended ;) **

**Please review. I promise I will try to update soon.**

**Thanks for reading**

**Mysticgirl**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hi everyone I am so so sorry about how long this has taken. But it is a stressful period at the moment. Coursework is over but exams are round the corner so not much time to write I am afraid but over Easter I promise to try and update a couple of times. Anyway hope you enjoy this.**

Chapter 35 – Confrontation

Ziva took a shaky breath as she stepped out of the airport in Tel Aviv feeling the familiar heat wash over her bringing back wonderful childhood memories that made her pause and briefly close her eyes images of her brother and sister flashed before her as they ran around with her, playing in the olive garden near their home. For a moment she smiled lost in the happy moment.

"Ziver?"

She started and opened her eyes to look at Gibbs who was standing beside her watching her looking very concerned. She gave him a shaky smile "I'm fine" she whispered "come on lets go." Gibbs didn't look convinced but he nodded and they headed off towards the car rental lot and Ziva followed.

Getting her had not been easy. Especially hiding it from Tony. Thankfully when they had gone to Vance and explained what she wanted to do it hadn't taken much to persuade him. He hadn't liked the idea of sending Ziva to Israel but it had soon become obvious that it was the only way to keep Tony and Tali safe. He hadn't wanted her to go alone and that was when Gibbs had stepped forward and said he was going too. Ziva had protested saying it was too dangerous but Gibbs had refused to back down and grudgingly Ziva had relented which seemed to please Vance. He had arranged for them to go to Paris on a conference, saying that Gibbs was the ambassador but Ziva could translate. Then McGee had booked them flights from Paris to Tel Aviv after the conference and they would fly home again via Paris.

Throughout the conference Ziva had not been able to focus but thankfully Gibbs had managed to do most of the work. Once it was over and they were on the flight to Tel Aviv she had really begun to worry about seeing her father. She had spent the whole flight trying to decide what to say to him and even now she was still uncertain. She knew they only had 10 hours here before they had to get back on the plane; she hoped it would be long enough.

After they had located their rental car Ziva checked her phone to see that she had a missed call from Tony along with a message. She opened that to smile as she saw a picture of a drawing that Tali had obviously done for her at work. It showed all her family at NCIS and in very scrawling handwriting she had written her name and Tony had written out the message "miss you mommy and grandpa. Love you lots xx"

Still smiling she showed the picture to Gibbs who's eyes softened at it and he looked at her "you ready" he asked and she nodded as she clambered into the driver's seat and gunned the engine, sending the car spinning out of the parking lot.

The drive to Mossad was silent and once she was parked outside she paused taking a few deep breaths. Then she reached for her phone and stared at the drawing for a few more minutes before she calculated the time difference and carefully dialled Tony's number.

He answered after only a couple of rings sounding out of breath but eager.

"**Hey Zee" **he said **"how was the conference"**

Ziva smiled at the sound of his voice _"Oh you know it was as you'd expect, boring and full of people arguing"_

Tony laughed **"I bet Gibbs set them straight" **he said and Ziva smiled _"yeah he did" _she murmured.

"**So when you coming home?" **Tony asked

"_Um our flight isn't until tomorrow morning" _Ziva said **"well go enjoy some of our favourite city for me" **Tony said and she smiled as she remembered the last time she was in Paris with him picking up their witness, spending one wild night with him in the process.

"_I will" _she said softly _"How's Tali? Is she behaving? I saw the picture she drew, it's lovely"_

"**Oh Tali is being Tali" **Tony said and she could hear the smile in his voice **"she is just getting out of the bath… hang on one second…"**

He broke off and Ziva waited listening to movement on the other end before a chirpy little voice exclaimed _**"Mommy!"**_

Ziva let out a little laugh _"Hi baby" _she whispered blinking to hide any tears _"are you being a good girl for daddy?" _

"_**Yeah I being good" **_Tali said and Ziva smiled _"I love the picture you drew" _she said _"it is lovely, daddy sent me a picture of it and grandpa and I love it"_

Tali giggled happily _**"Miss you mommy" **_she said _**"you come home soon"**_

"_I'll be home very soon" _Ziva promised feeling a tear escape and slide down her cheek _"Now is it your bedtime aheva"_

"_**No" **_Tali said quickly and Ziva heard Tony call **"yes" **in the background making her smirk.

"_You be a good girl Tali and go to bed with daddy, what story is he going to read you tonight?"  
><em>_**"Um" **_Tali pondered _**"Guess how much I love you" **_

Ziva smiled _"Good choice" _she said softly _"now go clamber into bed and cuddle up with daddy so he can read you that story" _

Tali let out a little sigh _**"k mommy" **_she mumbled _**"love you mommy"**_

Ziva smiled _"love you too" _she whispered _"I bet you can't guess how much I love you my Tali"_

Tali giggled delightedly _**"to the moon and back" **_she responded excitedly

"_Yes I love you to the moon and back" _Ziva said

"_**And I love you to the moon and back and back again" **_Tali exclaimed making Ziva laugh "_that is a lot" _she said softly before she let out a small sigh _"I gotta go baby ok but I'll be home soon… I promise ok" _

"_**Ok" **_Tali mumbled _**"night night mommy" **_

"_Night night baby let me talk to daddy" _Ziva said and she heard a rustle before Tony caught the phone back again.

"**Hey" **he said **"you get home soon ok, we miss you a lot" **

"_I miss you too" _Ziva responded _"I'll be home before you know it… count to a million… and I'll be home"_

Tony laughed **"oh I'll be counting" **he said **"I love you"**

"_I love you too" _Ziva whispered before she slowly hung up. She looked over at Gibbs who was watching her. Slowly he reached out and caught her hand squeezing it in a comforting manner "you don't have to do this you know" he said gently "it isn't too late to just turn around" "no" Ziva whispered "I have to do this."

He sighed and then nodded "do you want me to come in" he asked and she shook her head "no I have to do this alone" she said "we cannot involve NCIS in any way." He considered her before nodding "you have half an hour" he said "then I'm coming in."

"You won't get very far" Ziva whispered and she leaned over to hug him before she quickly slipped out of the car and headed up towards the main entrance. As she did so she lifted the scarf that was around her neck up to cover the top of her head hoping it might get her a little bit further into the building before she was recognised if she concealed herself.

She knew the layout to the Mossad building by heart and she knew the best way to her father's office. She reached into her bag as she arrived at the security point and pulled out one of her old lesser known fake ID's and stared straight ahead as she moved through the security. As soon as she was through she picked up the pace, moving purposefully towards her father's office.

She was halfway there before someone recognised her. He looked up and did a double take before he leapt from his chair. But she was already upon him punching him in the throat before she kneed him in the groin forcing him to double over so that she could slam his head into the desk.

She sped up again and arrived at her father's office to see two security guards standing outside. She marched up and stopped before them. "I demand to speak with Director David at once" she said in Hebrew. Both men eyed her suspiciously "who are you" one said "do you have an appointment."

"No" she responded "but I am sure he is expecting me… because I am his daughter." She pushed back the scarf before she swung a punch at one of the guards catching him by surprise and she wrestled him to the floor. The other one went for her but a few punches incapacitated him until she had dealt with the other one and she was able to fight him properly. It wasn't long before he joined his partner on the floor.

Ziva paused then taking a deep breath trying to prepare herself for what would happen next. Her gaze fell on one of the guard's gun and slowly almost hesitantly she took it and hid it in the waistband of her trousers. Then steadying herself she shoved the door to her father's office open and marched inside slamming it behind her.

She felt a thrill of fear when she first saw her father sitting behind the desk and she remembered those threats he had made all those years ago when she had been pregnant with Tali. That was when the anger came out as she remembered how he had threatened her baby, how he had sworn that he would take her baby away and train her for Mossad; the idea of her sweet innocent little Tali in Mossad made her want to throw up. Then she remembered how her father had ordered some of his agents to try and kill her family and she clenched her fists in anger.

Her father didn't look up from his desk at first as he sat there writing out a report. Indeed he acted like she wasn't even there, and Ziva stood there waiting determined not to let him have the power over her by being the one to break first.

Then without looking up he said in a bored dry tone "you always did slam doors even when you were a child my Ziva, it always alerted me to your arrival home from school"

Ziva snorted "you were never there when I arrived home from school, you were always working" "ah yes nature of the job I am afraid" Eli said and at last he put down his pen and looked up at her. An almost affectionate smile slipped over his face and he stood. "Ah look at you my beautiful daughter" he said "how I have missed you these past few years whilst you have been experimenting a new lifestyle. I have to say, America doesn't look bad on you my dear"

Ziva just glared at him as he walked slowly round his desk to where a small sofa was sitting. He settled himself down and patted the seat beside him "come sit with your father" he said. "I thought as long as I gave birth to my baby I was no longer your daughter" Ziva challenged remaining standing.

Eli sighed "oh my Ziva I have regretted what I said that day for many years now. I regret that I lost my temper with you, I regret that it lost me my only grandchild. I wish I could have a relationship with her"

"No you don't" Ziva snapped "the only thing you regret is not being able to train her into a perfect little assassin like you did to me"

Eli sighed again "no Ziva I do not wish to train your daughter, though I cannot deny I would be interested to see how she turns out. Unfortunately with her being an American citizen I cannot do that…"

"So what" Ziva hissed "you decided that if you couldn't have her then no one could? Is that why you tried to kill her and Tony off huh? I gave you my childhood and the first part of my life, you couldn't let me be happy huh? You tried to kill my husband and daughter to try and get me back… don't deny it" she added as he made to protest "I know when you are lying, I heard it enough when I was a child"

She glared at her father as he sat in front of her watching her calmly as she ranted. "I never wanted to kill your daughter Ziva" he eventually said and Ziva narrowed her eyes at him "I may have hoped that should something happen to one of them you might consider moving back to Israel" he added.

Ziva let out a gasp "you wanted to kill Tony" she whispered "you wanted to kill Tony so that I would bring Tali back to Israel and join Mossad once again" "that wouldn't have been a tragedy Ziva" he said and Ziva clenched her fists again fighting down angry sobs "why" she whispered as a lone tear slipped down her cheek.

"Because of exactly that" he snapped leaping to his feet and moving over to her. He caught hold of her cheek and rubbed the tear away. "You have become weakened my daughter, weakened by your emotions, the love you feel for that man and for your child has broken you. You were once great, you could have been one of the best but you gave up. You became a mother and threw everything away, all those years of training, for what" he paused and gave her a look "to read a little girl stories, to give her baths, braid her hair and kiss her? You gave up a thrill seeking life to be a house wife" he gave her a disgusted look "I was not going to watch my prodigy throw everything we ever worked for away all because some good for nothing American knocked her up"

"Everything we worked for" Ziva exclaimed "you mean everything you worked for, I never wanted that life, I never asked to be an assassin, I didn't want to kill… I wanted… to be a ballerina" he rolled his eyes "you always had a wild imagination Ziva" he said with a disappointed sigh. "It wasn't my imagination" Ziva whispered "it was my dream."

She paused for a minute before she shook her head "I didn't come here to dredge up the past" she declared "I came here to warn you." Her father sighed "I had figured as much" he said almost as though disappointed. He leaned forward to study her "go ahead" he said "scare me tateleh, make sure I never hurt your precious family again."

Ziva's fists were clenched so tightly her nails were digging into her skin and she was fairly certain that she broke the skin and felt blood trickle across her palm.

"I know I can't use force to scare you" she said softly "you know all the scaring tactics, they won't work on you" he smirked "indeed not" he said and he picked up a file sitting on the table in front of him looking very smug and pleased with himself. He opened the file and pulled out a handful of pictures and Ziva felt her stomach clench when she saw that they were pictures of her and her family. All three of them at the park, out shopping and walking down the road with Tali giggling on her father's shoulders. There were some of her and Tony at crime scenes or out interviewing suspects and even some of them out at a diner during their lunch break talking happily together about their lives.

But the scariest ones were the ones he had of Tali. They were of her clambering over climbing frames at the park and she could make out Tony's hands reaching out to steady her, some of her scrambling out of the car and running towards the day care centre eagerly. And then some of her in the day care garden when neither Tony or Ziva had been there to protect her. And that was what scared Ziva the most; how close they had gotten to Tali – how easy it would have been for her father to take her. They had been close, some of the pictures appeared to have been taken only a few metres away from Tali as she played with her little friends.

Her father selected one close up of Tali sitting listening to a story being read by a teacher with a big grin on her face. "Ah she is a beautiful little girl isn't she Ziva" he murmured "doesn't she look just like you hmm, except for her eyes, but everything else is you" he stared at the photo for a minute before he looked up at her "you named her Tali" he said "after my other daughter"

"No" Ziva whispered "I named her after my innocent little sister." Her father didn't comment on that denial of their relationship, he just sighed "she is beautiful Ziva" he repeated "I do with I could have a relationship with her" "well you should have thought about that before you threatened her before she was even born" Ziva snapped and she found her gaze drawn to the picture of her daughter "she was just a baby _father_" she spoke the word mockingly "and yet you tried to take her life from her before she had even lived it, and then again whilst she is still young; you have been spying on her" she whispered and that terrible realisation that her daughter's privacy was being compromised crept in and it lit a fire inside of her.

"You've been spying on her" she repeated before she took a deep breath "and it has to stop" she widened her stance, steadying herself. "I can't scare you with pain or the usual tactics" she reiterated "but there is one thing I can use to scare you."

Her father raised his eyebrows "oh" he said looking amused "and what is that" he asked. "Knowledge" Ziva said and he frowned at her. She gave a small smile "I know many of your dirty secrets _aba_ believe me, I know enough to make it very uncomfortable for you as Director as Mossad"

"Oh really" he said "prove it" she smirked "how about all those off shore bank accounts" she asked "or the secret diamond stores around the world enabling you, should something happen, to make a very quick and clean getaway and disappear" she was pleased to see his eyes tighten so she pressed on.

"Or how about the fact that you sent me on a suicide mission to Somalia – don't say it was my choice" she added "we both know that truthfully I never had a chance, how do you think it would sound if it came out that you sent your own daughter on a suicide mission where she was _raped _and _tortured _for months and you couldn't even send a rescue team to look for her? It doesn't make you sound very caring does it? If you won't look for your own daughter, how can you be expected to look for other agents?"

"It wasn't an easy decision Ziva" he growled but she ignored him "or how about the fact that you had an affair with Orli Elbaz, how do you think that sounds hmm? Not very professional" she glared at him "and that is only the tip of the iceberg of the dirt I have on you _aba_ so I am warning you" she took a few steps closer so that for the first time ever she towered over him "come anywhere near my family again, try to hurt them or take my daughter and everything will come pouring out. You recall all your spies and never send more otherwise I will tell everyone all your secrets. You leave me alone, don't try to contact me, don't try to be my father, you gave up that right, let me live a happy life, that is all I ask, I don't want anything from you except your distance. I want no part in this life so leave me alone"

She paused to look at him "if it helps imagine me dead" she said softly "that way you have no one to ignore, just three dead children." Slowly she took a couple of steps backwards "goodbye _aba_" she said "I hope for your sake this is the last you see of me." Then she turned and headed towards the door.

"Ziva" he barked and she paused turning to look at him again. He had risen from his seat and was glaring at her "if anything dirty comes out about me I will kill everyone you care about" he snarled "not just your husband and your little brat but your team at NCIS, Agents Gibbs and McGee, the scientist and the medical examiner and his assistant. Anyone you may have spoken to will die so help me god"

He paused and then smiled "but I will offer you a way out" he said "come back to work for Mossad, come home to Israel and I will leave your family alone on the condition you never speak to them again. I will let your husband live and raise your little girl as long as you divorce him and disown the girl. Come back to Mossad and everyone you love will live."

Ziva stared at him "you honestly think I will go for that" she whispered "to come back to Mossad and abandon my family, no, but I should have realised that the word family means nothing to you does it. No father, I will not return. I guess we shall live in a balance, as long as we both stick to our word you won't hurt my family and I won't spill your secrets"

Eli glared angrily at her and she stared back defiantly not backing down. Just then she heard the door burst open and there was a click as a gun was cocked and she knew it was aiming at her, she glanced sideways, "shalom Malachi" she said recognising the agent who had entered "Ziva" he acknowledged looking to her father for orders.

"Shoot me and you will have shot an American agent" Ziva said warningly as she slowly took a step backwards towards the door "do you want me to shoot" Malachi asked her father and his lip curled "no" he growled and he took another step towards Ziva and grabbed her throat slamming her against the wall "go back to America" he snarled "never come back here, you have no family here now, your name will be dirt, come back and I won't be so sparing."

Ziva shoved him away angrily "then do not hurt my family" she hissed "touch them and I won't hesitate to use this next time" she yanked the gun that she had stolen out from its hiding place and threw it on the ground. Then she leapt forward and grabbed all the pictures her father had of her family and shoved them into the file "and don't you dare send spies again" she snapped before she turned and stormed out of the office taking the file with her.

She broke into a run sensing Malachi follow her and she dashed out diving round the security and out of the compound. Once clear she leaned against the wall breathing heavily and put her head in her hands. She felt a few tears trickle down her cheeks as she thought about what had just happened and she slid down the wall into a sitting position.

"Ziver" she heard and looked up to see Gibbs striding over from the car looking concerned "are you alright" he asked bending in front of her before he muttered a curse under his breath and she realised that he could see the marks from where her father had grabbed her on her neck. "They will fade within a few hours" she mumbled "what happened" Gibbs asked and she looked up at him before she held out the file "he has been following us" she whispered and he opened the file. This time the curse didn't stay under his breath. "Son of a bitch" he muttered seeing the ones of Tali.

"I threatened him" Ziva whispered "I threatened to spill all his secrets if he didn't leave my family alone" "do you think it will work" Gibbs asked. Ziva didn't respond at first, she just stared at the ground "I hope so" she whispered.

She sensed Gibbs lower himself to the ground and then his was pulling her into his arms and she leaned against him feeling a few sobs wrack her body as she fought to calm down. Gibbs held her comfortingly before he rubbed her shoulder "come on" he murmured "lets go to the airport."

Ziva nodded and slowly rose to her feet and followed him numbly to the car. This time he drove whilst she stared out the window praying that it was over and that her family was safe.

XO

It was fifteen hours later that they landed in Dulles International Airport and they were both exhausted. Ziva had struggled to sleep on the plane worrying about what would happen if her father didn't take her threat seriously. So by the time they landed she was tense and worried.

But that all changed after she had collected her bag and had stepped into the arrivals lounge where she heard an excited cry of "mommy" and looking over she saw Tali sitting on a rail waving excitedly at her with her ever present stuffed hippo under one arm and Tony standing behind her holding onto her to stop her from falling.

Ziva felt a smile slip onto her face as she moved eagerly forward as Tony lowered Tali to the ground vaulting over the rail to chase after his daughter as she dashed off towards her mommy. Ziva instantly dropped her bag and fell to her knees to catch hold of her daughter as she collided with her "hi baby" she whispered in delight feeling her heart soar as she cuddled her daughter close. She closed her eyes breathing in her daughter's sweet scent as she stroked her hair. "Oh I missed you my Tali" she murmured kissing the top of her head as Tali snuggled into her clutching at her with the arm that wasn't locked around Bernie. "Miss you too mommy" her daughter whispered.

Ziva sighed happily before she looked up at Tony who was grinning at her "hey" he mouthed and she smiled as she mouthed the same back before she slowly stood "go see grandpa" she whispered and held Tali out to Gibbs as she exclaimed "grandpa." Gibbs chuckled as he caught hold of her "hey there sweetpea" he murmured hugging her tightly.

Ziva turned back to face Tony and flung herself into his arms "hey you miss me" he chucked as he secured his arms around her holding her tight "yes I did" she murmured and he laughed gently "well I missed you too" he said "very much so." She smiled into his chest.

"Come on then" Tony said "lets head home." He grabbed her back and keeping his arm wrapped around her he led the way to the car as Tali chattered excitedly to Gibbs who followed. "So how did the meeting go" Tony asked as he placed Ziva's bag in the trunk with Gibbs'. Ziva smiled as she finished strapping Tali into her seat and she looked up at him.

"Very well I think" she said "and I do believe that it had the desired effect" he grinned and kissed her "good" he said "I would hate for you to have to go back again to sort it out" she smiled "so would I" she whispered as she slid into the back beside Tali to listen to all the stories of what she had missed.

Later that evening back at Gibbs house as she tucked Tali into her bed she thought about what her father had said. Yes she had given up a life of excitement and thrill. She had given it all up plus her life in Israel as well as her family. All so that she could read her daughter stories, kiss her good night and tell her that she loved her.

But she didn't care because now she got a thrill from reading her daughter stories and listening to her laugh happily at the characters. She felt a rush of amazement and excitement whenever she whispered to her daughter that she loved her and heard her mumble it back. Yes she had given up her old life and family.

But it didn't matter. Because she had found a much better life and family. And there was no place she would rather be.

**Hope you enjoyed that.**

**Please review. I love hearing what you think.**

**I promise to update as soon as possible and your reviews really do spur me on.**

**Thanks Mysticgirl**


	36. Chapter 36

**Ok I am sooo sorry about how long this chapter has taken but it is exam period soon so revision has been my main priority. Thanks for the reviews though. I appreciate every single one of them. hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 36 – Discovery

Tony let out a relieved groan as he unlocked the front door to their apartment and stepped inside dropping the heavy bag he had been carrying with a grunt "home sweet home" he proclaimed and Tali giggled as she shot towards her bedroom to check that all her toys were where she had left them.

Tony turned to grin at Ziva and Gibbs as they dropped the bags they had been carrying with relieved sighs. "Well it's good to be home" Tony said "not that it wasn't nice staying at yours boss but damm I love this apartment" Gibbs nodded "well I'll miss my girls but I can't say it isn't a relief to be rid of you DiNozzo" he said. Tony frowned and opened his mouth affronted before he saw Gibbs eyes twinkling and he scowled.

Ziva smiled as she looked around their apartment. It had been a week since she and Gibbs had returned from their secret trip to Israel and so far she had not seen any sign of her father's spies. She had been on high alert wary of any retaliation but so far there had been nothing. Their apartment had finally been refurbished and after redecorating it they had finally decided to move back in.

She let out a content sigh at the site of her home before she turned to face Gibbs. "Thank you for everything you have done for us these past few weeks" she said as she hugged him and he chuckled hugging her back "no worries Ziver and any time; I really am going to miss having you around" she smiled before she pulled away "Tali" she called "come say goodbye to grandpa Gibbs."

There was a small thump before Tali came dashing out of her bedroom and launched herself into Gibbs' arms "bye bye grandpa" she mumbled as she hugged him and Gibbs smiled "bye bye sweetpea I'll see you soon ok" Tali nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before he lowered her to the ground and she ran to Tony who grinned as he caught hold of her playfully making her giggle.

Ziva smiled as she followed Gibbs to the door "thank you" she said again and he nodded "be careful Ziver" he said and she nodded before she closed the door. As she turned she felt Tony wrap his arms around her stomach "home sweet home" he murmured and she smiled as she leaned against him "mmmm" she murmured looking around "it is good to be home" she agreed as he kissed her neck "I'll unpack" he said "you sort Tali out" Ziva nodded looking at the clock before she headed into the bathroom to run her daughter a bath.

Once it was warm she chased her excitable daughter around before she lifted her up laughing and squealing into her arms and carried her into the bathroom "no bath mommy no bath" Tali giggled and Ziva laughed as she kissed her cheek "yes bath aheva" she said as she set her down "you're all smelly baby" Tali pouted as her mother began to help her out of her clothes before she lifted her into the bath.

Once in Tali began to kick and splash playing happily with her toys. "Blow bubbles mommy" she exclaimed and with a smile Ziva complied and blew bubbles which Tali happily tried to pop laughing at her until it was time to wash her hair.

Tony grinned as he listened to Tali playing in the bathroom as he began to put all her toys and clothes away in her bedroom. He was glad to be home where he could spend quality time with his wife and daughter. He hoped Ziva would settle down now they were home. She had been on edge ever since the fire, very jumpy and distracted. She had said she was just stressed about their situation but he could tell that something else was up; he didn't want to question her though. But he was becoming concerned.

She had settled a bit after her trip to France, it seemed to have helped her relax and he was glad that it had helped. He and Tali had missed her terribly but it had been fun to have Gibbs' house to himself. He just hoped Gibbs didn't notice that they had had to replace the saucepans after the pasta stuck to the base. Or the fire extinguisher after they had gotten distracted whilst cooking bacon.

He finished up in Tali's room and moved back into the lounge to grab the bag that belonged to he and Ziva. As he did so though he knocked Ziva's backpack over sending the contents spilling across the floor. "Shoot" he muttered dropping the other bag and falling to the floor to gather the contents of the files up.

As he did so he noticed a file he hadn't seen before. He wouldn't have minded apart from it was stamped with the symbol for Mossad. Frowning he picked it up and slowly opened it and his eyes widened when he saw the pictures inside it.

Hand shaking he sifted through them feeling his stomach clench as he saw pictures of his young daughter being observed by special forces from Isreal. "Tali" he whispered "what on earth…?"

"Tony" he heard Ziva call "can you get Tali's pyjamas for me please" "yeah" he said slowly placing the pictures back in the file and shoving it and the others back into Ziva's bag before he moved slowly into Tali's room to find some pyjamas and slowly he moved to the bathroom where Ziva was kneeling behind Tali who was wrapped in a soft fluffy towel whilst her mother was carefully towelling her hair dry.

"Here" he said quietly holding out the pyjamas "thanks" Ziva said with a smile looking up at him before the smile slipped from her face "Tony what's wrong" she asked and Tony hesitated before he looked down at Tali who was looking up at him confused. "Nothing" he said quietly before he moved back out of the room unsure of how to react.

He couldn't keep his eyes away from the backpack though, knowing what was in it. He continued to put away there things as Ziva came out of the bathroom with Tali in her arms "say night night to daddy" she said and Tony forced a smile onto his face as he reached out and caught hold of her pulling her into a big bear hug making her giggle.

"Ah night night princess" he murmured and Tali giggled "Night night daddy" she exclaimed as he kissed her cheek "sleep tight lovebug" he said before he handed her back to Ziva avoiding eye contact with his wife whilst she read Tali a story and settled her down. When she came out he was sitting on the sofa flicking through the TV channels trying to figure out what to do.

Slowly she came over and settled on the sofa beside him wrapping her arms around his chest. Automatically he had put his arm around her before he had even registered the movement. "You are awfully quiet this evening" Ziva commented and he shook his head to focus "yeah just glad to be home" he said before he looked down at her "so I realised recently" he said "that with everything going on, all the refurbishing the apartment and work and looking after Tali, I never really asked you about France" 

He felt her stiffen slightly before she hid her surprise and relaxed. "Not much to tell really" she said "we went to the conference, everyone argued for a while before they agreed, Gibbs sat there in stony silence which made his point very clear. Once it was sorted we went out and enjoyed the city just like you told me." She looked up at him "we even had breakfast in the very same restaurant that we did that time when we went" she said and Tony felt a small smile slip onto his face as he remembered that little café they had eaten breakfast in before going to pick up their witness. He remembered clambering onto the little bike with Ziva clambering on behind him. He still remembered the thrill he felt as her arms had wrapped around his stomach and he had felt her lean into him as he had sped off down the road. The thought now sent tingles down his spine.

He forced a smile onto his face and looked at Ziva "so nothing I need to know" he checked and she frowned before she slowly shook her head "Tony? What's wrong" she asked. "Nothing" he said lightly "come on let's finish putting everything away" he said and he quickly stood and moved over to the last bag. He could sense Ziva watching him from the sofa before she too rose and began to pull some clothes from the bag placing them in either the clean or dirty pile.

Tony slowly picked up his coat and Ziva's jacket. As he did so he felt something stiff in Ziva's pocket and with another frown he reached inside and pulled out the ticket from an airplane journey. Slowly he unfolded it and his eyes widened as he saw that it was a connecting flight and it was the where from that made his heart stop.

"Ziva" he said quietly and she looked up at him "what is this" he asked displaying the ticket and he heard her breath catch in her throat. For a minute they just stood there staring at each other before Tony moved over to her bag and yanked out the file again. he grabbed one of the surveillance photos of Tali and moved over to her. "Where did you get this" he asked quietly and he saw her tremble at the sight of it. "Where did you get it" he asked again in a sharper tone.

"Mossad" she said quietly and he felt a thrill of fear rise inside of him at the mention of the Israeli special forces. He looked back at the ticket stub. "You went to Israel whilst on that trip to France didn't you" he said and without looking at him she nodded "yes" she whispered defiantly.

"Why" he asked struggling to remain calm "because I had to" she said sounding very defensive of herself and her actions "WHY" he shouted making her start slightly "keep your voice down Tali is trying to sleep" she snapped at him and he clenched his jaw trying to calm himself. "Why did you have to go to Israel" he asked and she lowered her head seemingly deliberating.

"Because my father tried to kill you" she said and his eyes widened "what" he breathed and she looked up at him and he saw that her eyes were shining "he set that fire" she whispered "he sent two of his agents to torch the place when I wasn't in there, when I spoke to my father in Israel he told me that he wanted to kill you, Tali wasn't a target, he wanted you to die and for me to return to Israel with Tali so that I would return to Mossad and he could train her."

Tony's eyes widened "you spoke to your father" he said trying to get his head around what he was hearing. Ziva nodded "I confronted him, I threatened him. I told him to leave us alone or I would reveal some of his secrets. I told him to withdraw his spies or I would make it public what happens inside Mossad."

"Spies" he interjected "hang on there have been spies?... and you knew?" "yes I knew, I am trained to know" she said sharply "he has been sending spies, how do you think he got all those photos you are holding"

Tony looked down at all the photos in his hand staring at them in horror before he looked up at Ziva "they have been spying on us" he said and she nodded "and on Tali" she said quietly and his eyes widened "They were stalking Tali at her school… son of a bitch…" he hissed "why the hell didn't you tell me"

"Because I knew you would react exactly how you are now" Ziva warned "I knew you would be mad." "That doesn't give you the right to decide what I do and don't know" he said before he frowned "wait does Gibbs know? He went to France with you didn't he." She nodded "he came to Israel too" she said "who else" he asked struggling to stay calm.

"McGee and Vance" she said "McGee knew but you couldn't tell me" he exploded "yes because I knew he wasn't going to lose his temper like you are now" she shouted.

"You had no right to keep me out of it" he shouted "its my life Ziva, my life that was being threatened and I didn't have a clue, I didn't know they were after my, I didn't know they were stalking Tali. She's my daughter too Ziva, you can't just leave me out."

"I was trying to protect you" she yelled and he could see her eyes burning with anger and he could feel a similar rage burning up inside of him "by lying to me" he yelled back "you had no right"

"I had every right" Ziva shouted "I was trying to keep you from getting yourself killed, I didn't want you finding out and getting all mad and then trying to stop Mossad yourself, they would kill you without blinking Tony. The less you knew the safer you would be, I was trying to protect you."

"No" he snarled "you were just doing what you do best; shutting people out and do everything by yourself" she blinked at his hurtful words and instantly looked wounded but he had found his voice and he wasn't going to stop.

"You shouldn't have gone to Israel, it was so stupid, what if your father had killed you huh? What if he had kept you there, you didn't spare a thought to what would happen to Tali and I if you didn't come home did you?"

"Of course I did" she screamed "I didn't want to go Tony, but it was the only option, he threatened us and Tali, I knew it wasn't going to stop. I knew it was the only way. I hated being away as much as I hated lying to you, but I had no choice"

"Everybody has a choice Ziva" he yelled "you just didn't look for another one. You need to start realising that we are a family, that means we don't lie, we don't keep secrets and we don't risk our lives like you did"

"Tony we risk our lives every day in our job" she shouted "but that's different" he yelled "we have each other's backs, we can protect each other and be there for each other and Tali; that is what being a family is all about…"

Ziva looked like she was about to go into another shouting tirade but before she could a small voice called out "mommy? Daddy?" and they both looked over to see Tali standing in the doorway to her bedroom wide eyed looking scared with Bernie under her arm "mommy daddy what going on" she asked.

Tony closed his eyes and took a steadying breath to calm down before looked over at his daughter and forced a smile onto his face "nothing is going on princess" he said as he moved over to her and scooped her up into his arms "mommy and daddy were just talking, come on lets get you back to bed so you can get some beauty sleep ok" he carried her back into her room without looking back at Ziva and he quickly placed her in the middle of her bed between all her toys kneeling beside her to gently pull the blankets over her.

"You and mommy were talking really loud" Tali whispered looking nervous and he smiled weakly "I know princess we are sorry we woke you, everything is fine just go back to sleep ok." "Ok" Tali whispered "night night love you"

"Love you too" he said quietly kissing her forehead before he rose and made his way out of her bedroom shutting the door behind him. When he turned he found Ziva standing exactly where he had left her with her jaw clenched. As he came out of Tali's room she looked up at him. "I did what I did to try and protect my family" she said "I was trying to keep you safe Tony because I love you"

"Do you" he asked quietly "because right now Ziva I don't know whether anything you say is true or not; you lied to me and you shouldn't have done so" "what do you want me to do" Ziva asked "apologise? Because I will apologise but I don't think what I did was wrong Tony, if I had to do it again I wouldn't do it differently."

Tony looked at her staring at him pleadingly trying to figure out what to do. "I need some air" he said abruptly and her eyes filled with tears, if he wasn't so angry he might of felt guilty but right now, every time he looked at her all he could see were the lies she had told him.

He turned and grabbed his keys, phone and wallet "don't wait up" he said before he walked out of the door shutting it harder than anticipated before he stormed off out of the building.

The moment the door shut behind him Ziva let her strong walls collapse and she sank onto the sofa letting out a sob as she did so feeling tears slide down her cheeks. She felt awful and wished Tony would come back so she could truly apologise for what she had said. But he was gone and she didn't know when he was coming back.

"Mommy" came a little voice and she slowly looked up wiping away her tears as Tali came shuffling out of her room again. "Hey baby" she whispered managing to force a smile onto her face "come here honey." Slowly Tali shuffled over with her head buried into Bernie's neck "why you crying mommy" she asked reaching up to touch a tear on Ziva's cheek "why you sad." Ziva smiled weakly as she reached out and lifted her daughter up into her arms, placing her on her knee so that she could hug her tightly. "I did something silly" she whispered resting her head on Tali's and closing her eyes to breathe in her sweet scent. "Oh" Tali said quietly cuddling close "where's daddy gone" she asked and Ziva squeezed her eyelids together to stop more tears from falling.

"He went for a walk aheva" she whispered "he'll be back later ok" "ok" Tali said and Ziva swallowed before she adjusted her grip on Tali and then stood "come on to bed" she said as brightly as she could before she carried Tali into her room again settling her back down trying to remain strong before she moved back into her bedroom and after slowly changing into her nightwear she clambered into the bed and curled up letting the tears at last come trickling down her cheeks.

She didn't know how long she lay there before she felt the mattress sag and she looked up hoping that it would be Tony. But it wasn't. Instead Tali was clambering onto the bed and crawling over to her. She instantly cuddled up to Ziva and placed one arm around Ziva's waist making her mother smile weakly at her daughter trying to comfort her before she pulled her daughter close and kissed the top of her head as Tali closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep again.

Ziva lay there for a while hugging her daughter waiting to hear Tony come in. But the night dragged on and he still didn't return and slowly hating what she had done, she drifted off to sleep praying that everything would work out in the morning.

XO

Gibbs didn't look up as he heard the front door slam shut, nor when the door to the basement opened and he heard Tony storm down the stairs. "Forget something DiNozzo" he asked from where he sat whittling away at a design for his boat "or have you come to tell me what happened to the saucepans and the fire extinguisher"

"Why did you lie to me" Tony asked and Gibbs could hear his voice trembling with anger "why have you and Ziva been lying to me?"

Slowly Gibbs sighed and put down his tools carefully before he looked up at his agent who was standing glaring at him. "You know about Mossad and Israel" he said and Tony nodded "I found the ticket stub and the file filled with surveillance photographs of my daughter and I" he said hotly "you have been lying to me for months Gibbs, you and Ziva. I trusted you and you lied to me. What gives you the right"

"I am your boss DiNozzo" Gibbs said sharply "I have every right, and Ziva is your wife. We were just trying to protect you"

"That doesn't mean you should lie to me" Tony yelled "I thought we were a team Gibbs, I thought we had each other's sixes. What are those rules you make us follow huh? Rule 1: never screw over your partner. Ha yeah I think you both screwed me over. Rule 15: Always work as a team? Yeah well you failed there."

"I was going with Rule 18" Gibbs interjected "It is better to seek forgiveness than to ask permission" he looked at his agent "we did what we thought was best" he said "tell me Tony, if you had known that Mossad was trying to kill you and your daughter how would you have reacted?"

Tony opened his mouth to protest before he thought about it and realised that he would have been mad, he would have wanted to stop Mossad from laying an finger on his precious daughter. He would have been mad and he wouldn't have been easily stopped. "You see" Gibbs said obviously knowing what he was thinking "we knew that the only way to protect you would be to hide everything from you. There was also the worry that as we knew Mossad was watching you, if they knew you knew they might try to kill you again."

"It still wasn't right" Tony objected. "What part of any of this is right DiNozzo" Gibbs interjected "they tried to kill you just so Ziva would take her little girl back to Israel where she would be trained to become a ruthless assassin, they tried to kill you and nearly killed at least 70 other people in the process, there is nothing right about this, so don't go getting all mad at Ziva and I for doing what we thought was right in a limited space of time."

"Ziva is my wife Gibbs" Tony said "what the hell would have happened to us if she had been killed in Israel hmm, what if she had never come back, how would I have explained to Tali that I didn't know why her mommy was dead or missing because she hadn't told me anything. How the hell do you think we would have coped losing her."

"Well how the hell do you think Ziva would have coped losing you" Gibbs growled leaping to his feet to stare Tony directly in his eyes "all she wanted to do was keep you safe, why the hell are you getting mad at her for doing that"

"Because she could have been killed" Tony yelled before he stopped realising why he was so mad. "She could have been killed" he whispered.

Gibbs remained silent before he moved over to him and took his shoulder "go home Tony" he said "you need to calm down, you aren't seeing this straight" "I can't go home" Tony said "not now, I can't be there with her" he saw Gibbs jaw tighten. "Yes you can" he said and he shoved him towards the door "go home DiNozzo I mean it go now, sort this out."

Tony stared at him angrily before he turned and marched up the stairs slamming both doors to the house loudly. Gibbs sighed and rubbed his eyes. 'Things had better be sorted out before tomorrow' he thought 'otherwise it was going to be a long day that was for certain.'

XO

McGee was awoken by a loud banging at his front door and a voice shouting "come on McLazy open up will you." Frowning he unlocked his front door to find Tony standing there. "Tony" he said "what are you…" Tony cut him off with a raised hand "don't want to talk about it McSnoopy but just so we are clear I am still mad at you for lying about Mossad and Israel to me but out of you, Ziva and Gibbs I am the least mad at you" he pushed past him into the apartment and flopped onto the couch "got any beer" he asked in a dejected tone.

McGee frowned ignoring the last questing knowing that alcohol was the last thing Tony needed right now. "What happened" he asked sitting on the couch beside his co worker "I found the ticket to Israel" Tony said "I found out about Mossad" McGee gulped "you know" he checked and Tony nodded angrily "you are not forgiven by the way" he said "Tony we were…" McGee tried but Tony cut him off "just trying to protect me I know, save it McGee that is all I have heard tonight. You guys seem to think I can't take care of myself" "not against Mossad you can't" McGee said before he shut up at the glare Tony was giving him.

"So you just ran out" he asked and Tony sighed "after a heated screaming match with Ziva yes, I stormed out, I needed time to think, I still do" "what about Tali" McGee asked "well she was woken up by the screaming…that is the only reason we aren't still yelling" Tony said "I knew I needed to calm down so I left"

"What about Ziva" McGee asked "well she lied to me McBlivious" Tony said "I don't want to see her right now" "but she's your wife" McGee said. "And married couples fight all the time" Tony said looking at him "we are just being a normal couple McGee"

McGee frowned "Tony nothing about you and Ziva is normal, that is why I am worried, when you two argue, you really argue, how will you get past this?" Tony sighed "I don't know McGoo I really don't but listen it has been a really long day, can I just crash on your couch please."

Slowly McGee nodded "sure" he said "but you need to sort this out Tony, if not for you and Ziva, then for Tali" Tony sighed "I know McGee" he said quietly "I really do."

McGee waited another few minutes before he found Tony a blanket and pillow before heading back into his room. Once Tony had gotten comfortable on the couch he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his wallet containing a picture of Ziva and Tali. He gazed at it feeling a small smile slip onto his face as he stared at their happy smiling faces before the smile fell away as he gazed at Ziva "What did you do" he whispered "I don't know what I am more mad about; the fact that you lied or the fact that you risked your life, I can't figure it out…" he sighed before he looked at Tali's smiling face. He knew he had to sort it out for her. But he honestly didn't know how to.

So with a heavy heart he replaced the wallet in his pocket and rolled onto his side and tried to sleep wondering what he was going to do tomorrow…

**Sorry again for how long this took. Please forgive me.**

**Hope you liked it though. It took me a while because I wanted to figure out how they would argue and yeah :P**

**If you have any suggestions please don't hesitate to let me know ;)**

**And please review. I promise I will try to update faster if I get lots of reviews.**

**Thanks **

**Mysticgirl**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hey guys thanks for all the concerned messages. Not dead I swear. Sorry about how long this took. There is no excuse except life got in the way. Really sorry but thanks again for the messages. They inspired me to keep writing. Anyway hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 37 - Tension

When Ziva awoke the next morning it took her a moment to remember what had happened last night. When she did she instantly wished she could roll over and go back to sleep where everything was fine.

She looked down and saw that Tali was still curled up against her sleeping soundly clutching Bernie in a chokehold grip.

Ziva sighed and looked around the room; there was no indication that Tony had been in here last night. Slowly she slid out of the bed, careful not to wake Tali and slipped into the living room feeling her stomach clench when she realised that Tony had not come home last night. She swallowed not liking how things were going.

She moved slowly about the apartment until it was time to wake Tali and she forced an eager expression onto her face as she helped her daughter get ready for her day at day care. As she did so she felt a small ache in her chest as she realised that Tali would be starting school in a month or so. She couldn't believe how much time had flown; it felt like just yesterday that Tali had been getting ready to go to daycare for the first time.

Tali seemed to sense that something was wrong and she sat quietly eating her breakfast at the table watching Ziva as she prepared her packed lunch for her. "Mommy" she said and Ziva looked over at her daughter "yes my love" she said in the most positive voice she could muster.

Tali cocked her head to the side eyeing her with her father's eyes "where daddy" she asked. Ziva hesitated wondering what she should tell her before she smiled. "Daddy had to go to work very very early aheva" she said "you'll see him later." "Ok" Tali said seeming accepting that without any fuss, that had happened a few times; she or Tony getting called out in the middle of the night so Tali was used to it she supposed.

Leaving Tali playing in her bedroom for a few minutes she headed into the bedroom to ready herself. As she tied her long hair back into a ponytail her gaze fell on a picture of she, Tali and Tony at their wedding a few months ago. She felt her heart ache as she remembered the joy she felt and the happiness, how she had felt so content as she danced in the arms of the man she loved with her family around her. How she had felt so at home in that moment of bliss.

She looked down at the rings on her finger and slowly she twisted them round and round, for some reason they didn't feel as comfortable as usual and she played with them restlessly.

She would have to try and figure things out soon, she needed to soothe things over with Tony, she couldn't lose him, and she couldn't bare the idea of Tali losing her father over something that she had done.

When it was time to go she ushered Tali out of the car trying to remain positive as Tali chattered away to her oblivious to how her mother was feeling. When they arrived at the day care centre Ziva followed her daughter inside and bent to give her a big hug and kiss "bye mommy go catch bad guys" Tali said and she smiled "Bye my love" she whispered "have fun today ok" Tali nodded and dashed off squealing in delight as she spotted her best friend Maya – the little girl who also lived in their building who Ziva had cared for after the fire.

Ziva watched as they rushed off to play in the little house together before she slowly headed out of the building and drove to work in silence.

When she arrived the only one in the bullpen was Gibbs. When he heard her enter he looked up and frowned when he saw her come in alone. "Where's Tony" he asked and Ziva shrugged "we had a fight last night" she whispered "I know" Gibbs said coming round his desk to squeeze her shoulder "he came to me last night, he was angry about what we did, said you two had a screaming match after he found the pictures and ticket stub"

Ziva nodded "it was bad" she said softly "he stormed out… but he didn't come home last night" "he didn't" Gibbs said sharply "I told him to go home to you last night as he was leaving mine" "well he didn't" Ziva said fighting to stay strong. "Hey" Gibbs said gently as he pulled her into a hug "it'll be ok Ziver I swear, everything will work out." Ziva nodded though she didn't really believe him.

They moved slowly back to their desks where there was a tense wait and neither of them could stop looking up the moment they heard the elevator arrive at their floor. Eventually they heard the doors slide open and Ziva looked up feeling a small sense of relief as she saw Tony exiting the elevator with McGee.

Eagerly she watched as he marched into the bullpen and tossed his bag down beside his desk and dropped into his chair without looking at anyone. Judging from McGee's awkward expression, it wasn't just her he was pissed at.

She rose to her feet and moved round her desk to stand in front of his watching him as he logged into the computer and began to check his emails. He totally ignored her for a minute before he bluntly asked "where's Tali?"

"At daycare" Ziva responded and he looked up at her "what did you tell her when I wasn't there this morning" he asked. "I told her you got called into work early this morning" Ziva said "she was fine with that." Tony nodded and looked down again.

"Where did you go last night" Ziva asked and he shrugged "crashed at McGee's… decided I was least mad with him out of the three of you" he said and Ziva closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them he had gone back to totally ignoring her "so what are you just going to ignore us now?" she exclaimed.

Tony looked up at her "you know I hadn't really decided" he said "but it might give you a sense of what I went through you know so maybe yeah." Ziva let out a breath "can we talk somewhere private please Tony" she asked and he gave her a look "why worried I might make a scene" he asked. "A little yes" she snapped.

She heard Gibbs curse and then he was behind her "come on" he growled and he grabbed both their arms and marched them towards the men's room. "Out" he growled at a young agent who took the hint and scuttled out of the room.

He shut the door and turned to look at them "sort this out" he said angrily "sort it out… how" Tony exclaimed "she lied to me… you both lied to me" "we were trying to protect you" Ziva defended angrily.

"I don't need protecting" he shouted "you seem to think I am some fragile little child who can't look after themselves… well I'm not ok… I think I have proved myself to you all countless times. I am the senior field officer for Christ's sake, I can take care of myself. If I can survive the plague and a fire I think I can watch my own back against spies."

"Not against Mossad Tony, you don't know them like I do… they are dangerous" Ziva yelled.

"Oh dangerous like Saleem and all those other men in Somalia" Tony asked turning on her "oh no wait I rescued your butt out there Ziva didn't I? I carried you out of that place when no one else would even look for you… because I cared for you Ziva, I cared more than anyone else"

Ziva flinched at the mention of Somalia; the memories still painful even after all this time. If Tony hadn't been so pissed off he would have felt guilty for reminding her of that terrible experience. But right now he was too pissed off.

"You seem to think that I did that on purpose Tony" Ziva said "you seem to think that I hid all this from you to purposefully hurt you when I didn't. I did all this because I didn't want to lose you and I knew that if I let you in on it you would get hurt"

"You assumed I would get mad" Tony snapped "oh and I assumed right" Ziva snarled "look at yourself right now Tony"

"I am only mad because you lied to me" Tony snapped but Ziva ignored him "if you had known you would have gotten mad, Tony and that would have alerted Mossad to your potential danger and they would have tried to kill you once again. Or they might have just decided to kill you out of spite knowing it would kill me to lose you. Keeping you as far away from all of this was the only way I could see to keep you safe. It may not have been the best way but from where I was standing backed into a … corner it was the only way" she shouted before she fell silent glaring at him before she swore in Hebrew and stormed out of the bathroom.

Tony stared at the door as it swung shut before he turned to Gibbs to find him staring at him looking thunderous. "DiNozzo you had better dammed fix this" he growled "why should I…" Tony began but Gibbs cut him off "because you risked your life for her in Somalia without her asking" he said "you nearly died trying to save her, because you loved her. Even back then you loved her. Now she risked her life standing up to Mossad to protect you without you asking. She risked her life because she loves you and she cannot imagine a life without you."

He paused to look at his agent "and if that has changed nothing then think about Tali" he said "are you going to hurt her by fighting with Ziva? She doesn't need to see that Tony, so sort it out… for your daughter…" and with that he too stormed out of the bathroom.

Tony stared after them both trying to figure out what to do next. He still felt so angry at being betrayed by them. He had thought they were a team; that they should trust each other and never hide things, but they had gone behind his back and it hurt.

But Gibbs was right, Tali was going to get dragged right into the middle of all this fighting if he and Ziva didn't sort it out. It wasn't fair on her to watch her parents fight without truly understanding what was going on. She shouldn't have to see their anger for each other. She was only a kid. She shouldn't have to see any anger at all.

He let out a sigh before he slowly opened the door to the men's room and slipped out. Ziva wasn't in the bullpen, but Gibbs was. He ignored Tony as he moved slowly back to his desk and sat down. "Where's Ziva" Tony asked after a minute of awkward silence where McGee sat looking between the two of them wondering what to do. "Checking in with Abby" Gibbs said without looking up "McGee go re-interview the wife will you? I have a feeling she is holding something back… take DiNozzo with you, make sure he cools off…" McGee nodded and slowly rose to his feet looking at Tony who stared at Gibbs for another few seconds before he slowly rose to his feet and after grabbing his gear marched towards the elevator with McGee.

On the drive to interview the wife Tony stared straight ahead whilst McGee sat fidgeting beside him not knowing what to say. Eventually he tried to soothe things over because he asked "so do you know how you and Ziva are going to get over this…" Tony however ignored him, mainly because he didn't know the answer.

When they arrived at the widow's house Tony stayed in the car a fraction longer than McGee, taking the time to compose himself and focus on the case once again before he slowly clambered out and moved up the path with McGee putting on a respectfully sombre face as he knocked on the door.

The widow wasn't very forthcoming at first but with some careful poking and prodding they managed to weasel out of her that she was having an affair with her husband's boss. When McGee informed Gibbs of this he had them go talk to him whilst he and Ziva went to see the victim's brother to ask if he knew that his sister in law was having an affair.

Many interviews later with very little progress and many alibis to check Tony looked at his watch and grunted "come on Mc Cautious" he said "let's go get Tali… it isn't too early." McGee nodded and clambered into the passenger seat as Tony drove off.

"Seriously Tony what are you going to do" he asked as they joined the queue of cars leaving the navy yard "you and Ziva can't go on not talking forever" "I know Mc Obvious, but I don't know what I am going to do" Tony said "I know I went too far with some of the things I said and that now she is pissed with me but I am still pissed with her. We are married… we are not supposed to lie to each other. We agreed to be loyal to each other for better or worse. We should trust each other completely"

"Ziva does trust you Tony" McGee said "she trusts you unquestionably. She just didn't trust her father not to hurt you if you went after him for trying to get to Tali." "He would have deserved me going after him with everything I have" Tony growled as he pulled up outside the day care centre "she is a kid McGee, a kid… only four years old and he wanted to take her and no doubt start training her to be part of Mossad… what kind of bastard would do that to a little girl?"

"I am not agreeing with what he did Tony, I am just saying that Ziva did what she did for a reason" McGee defended. Tony groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly "she still didn't need to lie" he said before he swung himself out of the car and marched into the day care centre.

Hearing the laughter of delighted children was like a warm breeze blowing some of his problems away and he smiled as he saw all the children splashing water around in the water trays trying to remain cool in the early summer heat. He gave a small laugh as they began to flick water at each other giggling.

"Daddyyy" came the excited chorus and he half turned to lift his daughter up feeling the smile widen as he did so "ahh hello my beautiful princess" he murmured as he felt her small arms wrap around his neck.

He stood there holding her tight feeling some of the weight get lifted as he cuddled his little daughter close until she pulled away to look at him "daddy daddy I missed you this morning" she exclaimed and he smiled "I missed you too princess" he said remembering Ziva's cover story "but I had to go into work early this morning."

Tali nodded "but you coming home tonight right" she declared looking at him expectantly. Tony hesitated for a split second before he smiled and nodded "of course" he said "it's movie night" Tali let out a delighted laugh and nodded "let's go daddy" she cried excitedly and with a smile Tony fetched her things and after thanking the staff he carried her out to the car where McGee was waiting.

"Hi Uncle McGee" Tali giggled as Tony lowered her into the car and she jumped down so that she could lean forward between the front two seats "hey kiddo" McGee said with a small smile as he saw her. It was impossible not to smile around Tali. She just had this energy surrounding her that made everything seem ok.

"Sit back down Tali so I can strap you in" Tony said and Tali jumping into her seat and sat patiently whilst Tony helped her strap in. "We goin to NCIS" Tali asked shuffling in her seat as Tony fiddled with the straps "yep" Tony said and Tali grinned happily, she truly being picked up early and taken to NCIS.

She chattered away happily to her daddy and her uncle as they drove back to NCIS and waved excitedly at the security guards as they went through the gate before slipping out the car and dashing into the elevator causing McGee and Tony to jog to catch the same elevator as her when she pressed the button too soon.

When they arrived she dashed eagerly out of the elevator towards their bullpen. "Hi mommy" she squealed and Ziva looked up allowing a huge smile to slip onto her face as she saw her daughter "hello aheva" she said turning her chair so that she could lift Tali up onto her lap "what are you doing here?" she asked as she kissed her daughter's cheek. "Daddy picked me up" Tali said happily opening Ziva's desk drawers searching for her colouring pencils.

Ziva looked up at Tony as he walked over to his desk and sat down. Then for the first time that day their eyes met without being filled with anger. There was still hurt in them yes, but for now the anger was gone.

"You are coming home tonight aren't you" she checked and slowly he nodded "for Tali" he said before he sighed "we'll talk later ok" "ok" Ziva said feeling slightly more content now that he had agreed to talk even though she was sure he was only doing this for Tali.

They didn't talk much throughout the rest of the day but they no longer glared at each other and their colleagues so Ziva viewed this as progress. Gibbs didn't comment on how the still weren't talking but Ziva knew that if they didn't sort themselves out soon then he would take things into his own hands.

When it was time to go home Gibbs looked at Ziva. "Take it slow" he said "it is best if you both remain calm. You are more likely to get things sorted as long as you both stay calm." Ziva nodded and gave him a small smile before grabbing her bag and heading towards the elevator after Tony who had Tali on his back with her arms locked around his neck as she chattered away to him.

The ride home was quite quiet and even Tali seemed to pick up on that. She sat in her car seat looking between her parents with a small frown creasing her forehead. She remained quiet as they made their way up to their apartment and once in she slipped to her bedroom clearly not liking the tension between her parents.

Tony slowly looked at Ziva who was watching him looking uncertain. "I'll bath Tali" he said. She nodded "I'll fix her some tea" she decided and they both turned and headed off in different directions to do their jobs.

As he ran the bath Tony felt frustrated. This was not who he and Ziva were; they didn't fight like this. They didn't go through whole days of barely speaking to each other and they certainly didn't make their daughter feel uncomfortable like they had.

"Tali come have your bath" he called as he turned off the water. Tali came toddling in already shrugging out of her t-shirt. Once she had finished slipping out of her clothes Tony carefully lifted her into the bath smiling as she instantly submerged her body giggling as the warm water enveloped her. Tony watched her play for a while smiling at her antics before reaching for her favourite strawberry shampoo.

"Daddy" Tali said as he squeezed a small amount onto his hand and began to carefully massage it through her hair. "Yes princess" Tony said absently focusing on not getting any in her eyes. "Why you angry at mommy and why mommy angry at you" she asked twisting to look up at him with her big greenie eyes.

Tony stopped faltering for something to say as he looked down at her. "We're not mad at each other princess" he said gently "we are just… upset." "Oh" Tali said looking down briefly before looking back at him "why you upset."

Tony forced a small smile onto his face "we both did silly things" he said quietly. "Oh" Tali said again quietly dropping her head. She played with the bubbles silently whilst Tony washed the shampoo out of her hair and rubbed conditioner through it. But as he drained the tub and she slowly stood up and he wrapped a towel around her she looked at him. "Are you and mommy gonna get a deeevorce" she asked.

Tony recoiled startled by that sudden question. "What…I …er…we… what makes you think that princess" he finally managed and Tali looked down "my friend Luca at day care said his mommy and daddy got a deeevorce cuz his daddy did silly things" she said quietly "he said that he never gets to see his daddy any more… I don't want you and mommy to get a deeevorce. I don't want you to go like Luca's dad"

Tony had to blink rapidly to fight back tears as he stared at his little girl scared that he was leaving. He thought for a minute before he reached out holding out his arms to her. "Come here princess" he said quietly and slowly she leaned out of the bath tub and he scooped her into his arms hugging her tightly as she wrapped her arms around him holding him tight as she buried her head into the nook of his neck snuggling close.

He held her tightly for a minute before pulling away to look at her brushing stands of wet hair out of her eyes. "Hey" he said gently staring into her eyes "I'm not going anywhere Tali I promise. You are not going to get rid of me that easily. I plan to be around here to annoy you and mommy for a very long time okay. So don't worry, mommy and I are not going to be like Luca's mommy and daddy and get a divorce. We are going to stay together because we are going to work this out I promise. Do you know why we are going to work it out?"

Tali shook her head eying him curiously. Tony smiled at her "because mommy and I love you too much to have to share you, so I think it will be easier to shower you in love if we keep loving each other okay"

A smile slipped onto Tali's face "ok daddy" she whispered before she hugged him tightly again mumbling "love you" into his shoulder. Tony smiled "love you to princess love you too" he murmured.

They stayed in their embrace until Tony heard the sounds of Ziva taking food out of the oven. "Right princess" he said as he began to help her into her pyjamas "let's go eat our tea so that we can watch a quick movie afterwards ok" Tali nodded "let's watch _Frozen_ daddy" she exclaimed. Tony had to supress a groan; he had lost count of how many times he had watched _Frozen_ since the DVD had been brought into the apartment. Tali loved it and loved to race round singing 'Let it go' at the top of her voice. She even had a cuddly Sven and Olaf sitting on her bed now which Ziva had bought for her after her trip to France… and Israel…

Pushing those thoughts out of his head Tony smiled "if that is what you want to watch then that's what we'll watch" he declared. "As long as we can watch _Lion King_ tomorrow because that is daddy's favourite." Tali grinned "Yes" she sang "yay I love _Frozen._" "Don't I know it" Tony muttered as he hauled himself back to his feet and followed his daughter out into the kitchen adding as he went "oh but princess you and I need to have a conversation about you having a friend who is also a _boy_."

Dinner was quiet but civil. Tali seemed to have been soothed by her father's promise that her mommy and daddy were not splitting up and chattered away happily to them as she ate before dashing off to fetch _Frozen_.

Tony and Ziva quietly cleared the table. Ziva had her head ducked obviously not knowing what to do or say. Eventually Tony grabbed her arm and slowly she looked up. He stared into her eyes. "We have to get past this" he said simply "and we can't argue like this again. It is affecting Tali. We can't un-nerve her like this again. She kept asking me if we were going to get a divorce."

Ziva's face saddened "what did you tell her" she asked. Tony looked at her long and hard before responding "I told her no. We are not getting a divorce because I couldn't bear to do that to her. And I loved you for a very long time before Tali through thick and thin and I am not going to give up on us so easily after waiting so long."

Ziva gave him a small smile "I know how you feel Tony; I feel the same way. I don't want to lose what we have. I love our life together, both at home and at work. I would hate to lose my field partner because of this. I know what I did might not have been the best thing I did Tony but I did what I had to do to protect my family. I will always do whatever it takes to protect you and Tali because you are my life. I can't bare the idea of losing you…" her voice cracked and Tony slowly reached out to catch her hand.

"Then you won't" he said softly "I'll never leave you Ziva… never… you and Tali are my life too and I will fight to protect my family too. I understand why you did what you did. I don't like it but I understand because putting myself in your shoes… I realised I probably would have done the same thing…So how about from now on let's promise to protect our family together"

Ziva gave him a small smile and nodded "ok" she whispered "I'm sorry" Tony nodded "I'm sorry too" he said "I guess we were both a bit stupid" Ziva nodded and then closed her eyes as Tony slowly pulled her into his arms and then pressed his lips to her forehead "Remember Ziva" he murmured

"Aht lo levad"

He saw Ziva smile as she looked up at him "I know" she whispered.

**Sorry again about the delay. I hope you liked that**

**Please review. They really inspire me to carry on writing.**

**Thanks for reading**

**mysticgirl**


	38. Chapter 38

**Hey guys. I know I suck. I am so so sorry about how long it has taken me to update but I started university in September and I had to move from my home in England to Northern Ireland which is quite a long journey and of course it has taken me a while to adjust and with all the studying and social life I haven't found time to update. Anyway I am hoping to get back into my regular rhythm soon so hopefully you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter. Anyway hope you enjoy. **

Chapter 38 – Reconciliation

Another week passed and slowly the frost between Tony and Ziva began to vanish. They were both still quiet around the other but they were both trying desperately hard to make things work between them for Tali. They both still loved each other too and the rest of their team mates were sure that that would help ease the tension. But they all knew that the main reason they were fighting so hard to repair what had been was for their little girl.

Tali had seen instantly that her mommy and daddy were upset with each other and had given them the first gentle push to getting back together. Even now if there was any frost between them the sight of her would melt it all away. Gibbs was pleased that they were trying so hard for her. Everyone knew how pissed he would be if they had let it all slip away and hurt Tali in the middle.

Yet there was still tension between them and occasionally they would snap at each other. But they soon stopped fighting after a few minutes and occasionally they would go back to their usual bickering banter.

They were just finishing up a case involving the murder of a female petty officer. It had turned out that it had been her husband who had murdered her. He had gotten jealous of the fact that his wife worked away so often surrounded by men. He had assumed she was cheating on him when she had started keeping secrets from him and stabbed her in a jealous rage. Unfortunately she hadn't been having an affair; she had been planning a romantic getaway for their anniversary.

Unfortunately the idea of a couple having difficulties and the wife keeping secrets had brought up old wounds for Tony and Ziva and they had both taken opposing sides during this investigation. Tony had said that the wife shouldn't have hidden things from her husband whilst Ziva defended the wife, saying she was trying to do something nice for her husband.

It had led to many arguments which had often strayed from the case and turned into Tony and Ziva arguing about their own issues. Gibbs had hoped that now the case had finished the arguments would stop. But his two agents seemed determined to have one last bicker before the case was put to rest.

Gibbs ignored them as best he could until Ziva started cussing in Hebrew; that was when he intervened.

"Ok that's it" he growled leaping up and storming out from behind his desk "you two cool it; these arguments are not helping you two cool off which you have been trying to do for months now. Tony take a walk; go see how Abby's final report is going. Ziva, why don't you go get Tali and bring her here. Lord she might be able to stop the two of you bickering long enough for us to get our work done" and with that he stormed back to his desk past McGee who was sat there eying what was going on awkwardly.

Tony and Ziva stared at each other before they both turned and headed off in separate directions to do their jobs. When she got out of the building Ziva decided to walk to the day care centre; it was a beautiful spring day and she needed to clear her head. As she walked though Ziva realised that Gibbs was right. The bickering had gone on for long enough. It had been nearly gone but then this case had brought it all back up again. She sighed as she trudged down the road; hopefully once the case was out of the way things would go back to normal. But she knew that there would be other cases like this; cases that involved touchy issues that would remind them of everything they had been through. And they couldn't start arguing like that again.

She remained lost in her thoughts until she arrived at the day care centre where she quickly shook her head to focus and pushed all thoughts of hers and Tony's problems aside as she pushed open the door smiling at the girl working the reception who quickly buzzed her through the gate that stopped any of the children running out alone.

She looked around and soon spotted Tali sitting with some other children including her friend Maya who lived two floors down and a couple of boys. She was chatting away to them and Ziva was amused to see that the boys were listening to her. Tali clearly was a lot like her; she didn't let the boys boss her about.

Tali spotted her just then and grinned "I'm going my mommy's here" she announced "see you tomorrow" she added before she leapt to her feet and dashed over to Ziva who bent to catch hold of her "hi mommy" she exclaimed excitedly "hello my love" Ziva said quickly lifting her four year old up into her arms smiling happily as she kissed her cheek. "Have you had a good day?" "Yeah" Tali exclaimed "we played dressing up. Luca and Harry were the princes and Maya and I were princesses and we rescued them from the dragon who was Joey" Ziva smiled "the princesses rescued the princes hmm" she said as she caught hold of Tali's jacket and set her down before she helped her chattering daughter into it. "Yeah" Tali said "Joey didn't like that cuz he said princes rescue princesses not the other way round but I said girls can rescue boys and Maya and me did it. We show-ed him that princesses can rescue princes too."

Ziva smiled "well that sounds like a lot of fun my love" she said and Tali nodded "it was so much fun, I can't wait to come back tomorrow and do it again" she said. Still smiling at her hyper daughter Ziva caught hold of her bag and carefully guided her daughter out of the centre waving goodbye to the child-minders as she did so.

As they walked down the road Tali swung from Ziva's hand chattering away. Ziva listened to her excited talk allowing it to distract her from her worries about how things would be with Tony when she returned.

They were almost back when her phone rang and she stopped briefly to rummage in her bag until she found it. She pulled it out and saw that it was Gibbs.

"_Gibbs I am almost there…" _she began but Gibbs cut her off. **"It isn't that" **he said **"it is about your notes on the interview you took from the neighbours at the beginning of the investigation"**

Ziva frowned _"what about it" _she asked reaching out to catch hold of Tali as she danced around nearing the edge of the pavement "Tali stay away from the edge of the pavement tateleh" she said before turning her attention back to Gibbs.

"**It says here that the neighbours heard arguing around 10.30 pm" **he stated _"yes that is what they told me" _Ziva responded as they slowly continued to walk down the road with Tali jumping over the cracks in the pavement giggling excitedly.

"**Well the other neighbours on the other side said that they heard arguing around 11.45" **Gibbs explained **"which is a lot closer to our time of death, they also said they heard nothing before that time."**

Ziva sighed _"that is not good for the case because it will give the jury doubt about the reliability of our witnesses with two varying answers". _Out of the corner of her eye Ziva could see Tali dancing along beside her still incredibly wired up after her day. Looking up she spotted Tony standing at the coffee cart on the other side of the road waiting for some drinks.

"**I need you to go back and check with both neighbours about what they heard, make sure you find out what time everything really happened."**

Ziva nodded _"Yes I will go now Gibbs just as soon as I give Tali to Tony ok" _

"Look mommy there's daddy" Tali interjected spotting her father across the road and Ziva nodded.

Before she had even realised it Tali had taken off yelling excitedly to her father. The moment it had registered though Ziva jerked to it. "Tali wait" she yelled. But Tali was already leaping across the road.

Ziva registered everything at once. The sight of her daughter dashing across the road, the sound of car tyres screeching as they struggled to grip the tarmac. The rush of fear she felt as she watched the car continue to move towards her daughter.

"Tali NO" she screamed as she took off into the road after her daughter and on the other side of the road she saw Tony's head snap up. But there was nothing she could do and she let out a scream of horror as the car slammed straight into her daughter throwing her sideways. She hit the ground hard and Ziva saw her head smack hard against the tarmac and she instantly fell still.

"No" she screamed as she fell to the ground beside her daughter instantly reaching out to her. "No Tali please… please be ok" she begged as she gently dragged her daughter out from under the car. She dimly registered the driver staggering out of his car stammering that there was nothing he could do as he moved towards them but then Tony was there shoving him aside as he fell down on the other side of Tali. His phone was already out and he was calling for an ambulance sounding more panicked than Ziva had ever heard him. He was shouting at the operator, telling them to quit trying to get him to calm down and to just get the ambulance there now. He was as white as a sheet as he reached out to his daughter and Ziva let out a sob as she saw the blood streaming from a gash on Tali's forehead.

She looked up at Tony as he looked at her and their eyes met, both filled with terror not knowing what to say, both not wanting to process what had happened. Breathing fast Ziva looked back down at Tali "come on baby please wake up" she begged stroking hair out of Tali's face willing her daughter to wake up. But Tali didn't move she just lay there eyes closed.

Ziva heard more shouting and looked up to see Gibbs running towards them having clearly heard what had happened on the phone and had hightailed it down here. The driver of the car saw the badge on his belt and instantly began to stammer that it wasn't his fault but Gibbs just bellowed at him to shut up and not move as he crouched down next to Tony.

"Oh God" he groaned as he saw the blood on Tali's face. Ziva looked up at him "there was nothing I could so" she implored feeling tears slide down her cheeks "she… she saw Tony and took off, I… I tried to stop her but… but I wasn't fast enough"

"Shhh Ziver" Gibbs murmured looking at her gently before he looked at Tony who was still staring at Tali in shock. "Have you called 911" he asked and numbly Tony nodded. Gibbs saw the phone in his hand and reached out and took it. The operator must have still been on the line because he slowly began to speak to her carefully giving them all the information they had been trying to get from Tony who had been too panicked to respond.

It wasn't much later that an ambulance arrived. It made its way through the circle of on lookers who had formed a circle around them. As the paramedics arrived Gibbs straightened up and pulled out his phone calling McGee and after quickly telling him what had happened he told him to come down and take some statements.

Whilst he was doing that the paramedics moved forward and managed to push the shell shocked Tony aside. But when they tried to do the same with Ziva she just clung to her daughter sobbing for her to wake up no longer able to stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.

Slowly Tony moved over to crouch besides her gripping her shoulder tightly as the paramedics hurriedly assessed Tali before one of them ran over to grab the stretcher and a neck brace. They carefully strapped the brace on before they lifted her up and carried her towards the ambulance. Tony quickly helped Ziva to her feet before they both stumbled over to the ambulance and clambered in struggling to remain strong.

The whole journey to the hospital Ziva clung to Tali whenever she could with tears streaming down her cheeks. Tony kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders staring at his motionless daughter struggling not to break down at the sight of her covered in so much blood. But the closer they got to the hospital the harder it became not to break down and he couldn't hold back some tears that slipped down his cheeks.

When they arrived the paramedics quickly took their gurney out into the hospital where they were met by a team of surgeons. Ziva clung to the edge of the gurney begging Tali to wake up.

The followed the gurney until a solemn looking doctor stepped in their path and gently told them they couldn't go any further. Tony caught hold of Ziva holding her up as the gurney moved away carrying their daughter with it and it soon disappeared out of sight.

Ziva sagged then and Tony kept hold of her whispering that it would be ok, struggling to believe that it would. That was when Ziva turned and stared up at him with red eyes. "Tony" she choked out before the fear seemed to overwhelm her and she just choked back tears. Slowly Tony pulled her into his arms holding her tight as she buried her face into his shoulder crying miserably.

"Tony" he heard and he looked over to see Gibbs striding towards them looking worried. "What happened is she ok?" he asked.

It took Tony a minute to find his voice "um… they… just took her… into surgery… we don't know anything yet." Slowly Gibbs nodded and looked down at Ziva "come on" he said "let's go find somewhere to sit" he said gently. Tony nodded and gently steered Ziva to the waiting room and lowered her into a seat.

"What happened to the driver?" Tony asked gently remaining standing next to Gibbs. He couldn't sit down, he had to feel like he was doing something; otherwise that wall he was already struggling to hold together might fail.

"McGee took his statement, name and details" Gibbs said "along with other witness statements. The driver claims that it wasn't his fault but some of the witnesses said they thought he was going too fast."

Tony clenched his fists "if he was I swear to god I am going to kill him" he growled but Gibbs put a warning hand on his shoulder "careful DiNozzo we don't know whose fault it was at this moment" he warned.

"It was my fault" came a small whisper from the side and they both looked over at Ziva who was sitting there with her head in her hands staring blankly at the floor. "It was my fault" she repeated "I should have been watching her more closely. I knew she was excitable. She had been bouncing around the entire walk. I should have held her hand. I should have stopped her. I should have gotten to her sooner…."

"Hey" Tony cut in crouching in front of her and forcing her to look at him "it was not your fault Ziva, you couldn't have known she would run across the road like that. She has never done anything like that before. You couldn't have known she would suddenly do it."

"I'm her mother Tony" Ziva whispered weakly "I should have known." Tony stared at her "no" he said "you are not to blame, don't you dare start blaming yourself." "But I have too" Ziva whispered "I am her mother…" "and I am her father" Tony interjected staring up at her with wide eyes "I should have protected her; that is what a father is meant to do… I know you feel guilty Ziva… I do too… but blaming ourselves isn't going to help Tali ok… we have to stay strong for her"

Ziva stared at him "But what if she doesn't make it" she whispered "I can't lose her" "she will make it" Tony said firmly "come on she is a DiNozzo, she is strong, she won't leave us… and she is your daughter Zee, you are the strongest person I have ever met, and it is certainly a trait you passed on to Tali so I know it in my heart that she will get through this."

Ziva stared at him for a long time before slowly she nodded and reached up to cup his cheek staring into his eyes as he stared back at her before he slowly manoeuvred himself into the seat beside her and held out his arms for her to slowly fall into and then he wrapped her up in his protective embrace holding her tightly.

Gibbs watched them glad that they had started to lean on each other once again. But he couldn't shift that uneasy feeling he felt in the pit of his stomach, nor the image of Tali lying on the ground covered in blood. He shook his head to focus; he knew Tali was indeed a very strong little girl as Tony had said, but she was only little, and cars were very big when they struck something small.

"Gibbs" he heard and he turned to see McGee and Abby hurrying down the hall towards him both looking worried "we got here as soon as we could" Abby gasped. "Is she ok" McGee interjected looking worried for his honorary niece.

"We don't know anything yet" Gibbs said "they took her into surgery about fifteen minutes ago and we haven't heard anything since." Abby slowly nodded still looking worried. She looked over at Tony and Ziva both sitting clinging to each other like a drowning man would cling to a life line. "Are they ok" she asked and Gibbs reached out to squeeze her shoulder "they are as you would expect" he said softly.

They all settled down to wait and were soon joined by Ducky and Palmer once their shift had finished. They waited in silence eyes on the doors that Tali had been taken through. Every time it opened they would leap to their feet only to slump back down disappointed.

It was late evening when finally the doctor came out. "Family of Tali DiNozzo" he called and they all leapt up and followed Tony and Ziva over to the doctor. "How is she" Tony demanded looking apprehensive "she's ok right."

The doctor sighed "your daughter was struck very hard by the car, because of her height it broke two ribs which led to some internal bleeding. She also fractured her wrist and sustained a severe blow to the head which we are concerned about as it may mean she has a concussion." He looked around at them all staring at him, trying to understand what he was saying. Then a small smile slipped onto his face "but given the situation I am happy to say she was incredibly lucky. I have seen children come in in much worse states than your daughter from less severe accidents. We are incredibly lucky she didn't injure her spine. Of course we want to keep her in for a few days to monitor but I feel comfortable saying that your daughter will make a full recovery."

They all stared at him. "She's going to be ok" Ziva whispered seemingly unable to believe what she had heard. The doctor nodded "Tali is going to be fine" he clarified and everyone let out audible sighs of relief as Tony squeezed Ziva's shoulders kissing the top of her head murmuring "she's ok Zee, our little ninja is going to be ok" and tears of relief slowly trickled down Ziva's cheeks.

"May we see her" Tony asked and the doctor nodded "certainly. We gave her an anaesthetic so she probably won't awaken till the morning. She is also on some strong painkillers so will definitely be confused when she does awaken." Tony nodded and they all followed the doctor down the hall into the children's ward where they were led to a small private room where Tali lay in a hospital bed.

Ziva had to choke back another sob when she saw her daughter's grazed and bruised face, but she also felt a surge of relief at knowing that she would be ok. Slowly she and Tony sank into seats on either side of Tali's bed and Ziva quickly caught hold of her daughter's hand squeezing it gently as though trying to reassure her unconscious daughter that she was there. Tony just stared at her face before he rose and leaned over his daughter gently brushing hair out of her eyes before he gently placed a kiss on her forehead and murmured "you'll be ok princess, you'll be ok"

"Here" Abby said and they both looked up and smiled as they saw Abby holding Bernie the stuffed hippo. "McGee found him in the road and brought him to me, he had torn his side but I stitched him up and he is as good as new…see" she held out the toy and slowly Tony took it "thanks Abs" he said weakly "and thanks Tim… for finding it… she wouldn't have been happy if she had woken up without him" McGee nodded giving Tony a small smile.

Gibbs looked over his shoulder as he heard the sound of the nurses coming into the ward. One came over to them and quickly began to check the machines that Tali was still attached to. "I am afraid visiting hours are ending soon" she said looking at Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky and Palmer. "Only parents are allowed to stay overnight; you can come back in the morning."

Abby looked like she was about to protest but Gibbs placed a soothing hand on her shoulder "thank you" he said to the nurse before looking at Abby "come on Abs let's leave her with her mommy and daddy ok" slowly Abby nodded and reached out to touch Tali's arm gently before she backed away.

Gibbs slowly bent and kissed the top of Ziva's head as he squeezed her shoulder "get some rest Ziver" he murmured and she nodded tearing her gaze away from her daughter briefly to look up at him "Thank you" she whispered and he nodded before clapping Tony on the shoulder and casting one last look in Tali's direction before he followed the others out of the door.

Once they had left Tony looked over at Ziva to find her staring at Tali with a fearful look on her face. "You ok" he asked quietly. Ziva didn't respond at first; she just continued to stare at her daughter. Then eventually she said "I have never been so afraid in my life. I was so scared that Tali wouldn't pull through… I mean we have been through a lot but for the first time I actually watched her get hurt and I felt so powerless. I have never felt powerless before Tony and it scared me so much"

"Hey you heard the doctors" Tony said reaching across the bed "Tali is going to be fine, don't think about it" he gently took her hand and slowly she looked up at him "I was scared" she whispered "scared you'd hate me even more for not watching her properly, for not holding her hand. I was scared you'd blame me and that you'd never forgive me."

Tony tightened his grip around her hand "you are not to blame Ziva" he said "I don't blame you, you need to stop blaming yourself, what happened was an accident and what's done is done and there is nothing we can do about it now ok?"

Ziva hesitated clearly uncertain before she finally nodded and Tony gave her a small smile before he reached up to stroke a few tears from her cheeks before he looked down at Tali lying in the bed. "You will be ok my ninja" he murmured "You'll be awake tomorrow and you will be fine won't you"

Tali didn't move but Tony slowly placed her beloved stuffed hippo beside her and smiled as her arm twitched and then her hand quickly formed a fist around Bernie's leg making both her mother and father smile as they both reached out to touch her arms with one hand before they slowly reached across the bed and quickly joined hands creating a link, forming a supporting structure trying to create comfort for each other.

And that was how they remained waiting for their daughter to wake up.

**Hope you guys enjoyed that. Again I am really sorry that it took me so long to update.**

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I would love some more – they really inspire me to update so please let me know what you think. P.S PM me if you have any questions, suggestions or just want to chat. I would love to get to know you ;)**

**Thanks **

**Mysticgirl**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hi everyone I am so so sorry for the delay – I am struggling to find time to write and had really wanted to have this up before Christmas but it didn't happen. Thanks for your patience. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas. Enjoy**

Chapter 39 – Aftermath

The next morning Tony woke up to the sounds of life all around him. He frowned trying to remember where he was as he lifted his head blinking groggily to find himself leaning against a hospital bed. Frowning he looked up and his eyes fell on his daughter lying in the bed and instantly everything came rushing back to him and he sat up sharply instantly dragging himself closer to his daughter, eyes combing over her checking that she was still ok. To his relief it didn't appear that anything had changed since last night; she was still sleeping cuddling her beloved hippo close.

Looking over he spotted Ziva curled in the chair on the other side of the bed leaning against the mattress clutching at her daughter's hand. Her hair was falling around her face covering her eyes.

Slowly Tony rose and moved round the bed. Quietly he crouched next to Ziva noting that she must be exhausted because he could never usually get this close without her waking. Slowly he crouched down beside her studying her for a moment. He allowed his eyes to trace over her, memorising her every feature.

She was beautiful, he found himself marvelling; she was so beautiful and she was his wife. Sometimes he did find himself struggling to believe that concept; that he and Ziva after all those years of being just work partners and become partners in life too.

All thanks to their little love bug.

Tony was startled out of his thoughts as a friendly looking nurse came into the room. Smiling brightly she checked Tali over. "She should be waking up soon" she said with a smile "remember she is likely to be very confused when she does wake up so just talk to her, let her wake up naturally, as slowly as she would like, it might take a while but be patient. Give us a call when she is mostly awake and we'll check her over and fine her some breakfast."

"Thank you" Tony said managing a smile as she exited before turning back to Ziva.

He stretched wincing as his muscles ached before he reached over and brushed hair out of Ziva's eye. Ziva murmured in her sleep and shifted uncertainly. "Ziva" Tony whispered "shh it's ok wake up." She mumbled again before groggily before she opened her eyes and looked up at him. She frowned confused "Tony" she mumbled before she slowly looked around. She seemed to realise where she was and remember what had happened at the exact same time because she instantly sat up straight and looked down at the bed where her daughter lay.

"Tali" she whispered reaching out before she looked at Tony "has there been any change" she asked and he shook his head "no but the doctors think she will be waking up soon, I thought we should both be awake for when that happened" he said.

Ziva smiled and looked back over at their daughter tightening her grip on her daughter's hand. "I'm going to get some coffee, do you want something" he asked "just some coffee" she whispered and Tony nodded. Slowly he bent and kissed the top of Ziva's head before he headed down towards the café.

He waited patiently in the queue and until it was his turn and he quickly ordered two coffees and some pastries to keep them going before he turned and headed back up to Tali's room where he saw that Ziva had risen and was standing beside their daughter.

"She starting to wake up" she said and Tony quickly dropped the coffee and food onto the bedside table before moving to the other side of the bed. Tali was shifting uncertainly in the bed her hand clenching and unclenching around Bernie's leg. She let out a tiny whimper then and her eyelids fluttered slightly.

"Tali" Ziva whispered reaching up to stroke her daughter's cheek "shhh aheva it's ok, we are here sweetheart." Still mumbling Tali turned her head slightly "ima" she slurred groggily. "Yes baby" Ziva whispered with a small pained smile on her face "I'm here motek and so is daddy… daddy is right next to you too." Tali slowly rolled her head towards Tony who smiled "hey princess" he said "it's ok… you're ok."

Tali mumbled again "it hurt mommy" she whimpered looking back to Ziva as she opened her eyes. "I know baby I know" Ziva whispered stroking her hair "but it's ok."

Tali shifted again and her arms tightened around Bernie as she lifted him up to her face to snuggle close. She opened her eyes then and looked in between her parents.

"Hi princess" Tony whispered and Tali gave a small smile "Hi daddy" she mumbled. She looked around then and frowned when she realised she wasn't at home. "Where am I mommy" she whispered.

"You're in the hospital aheva" Ziva whispered "you had an accident baby, do you remember?" Tali frowned "no" she mumbled "it's ok" Ziva whispered "it doesn't matter, all that matters is that you are ok." Tali looked at Ziva before she turned to Tony who nodded "mommy's right baby, all that matters is that you are ok."

Tali shifted again and she pushed herself up the bed rubbing her eyes groggily. "I need to go get the doctor baby" Tony said "the nice doctor is going to have a little look at you ok and then we can see about getting you some food ok."

Tali looked apprehensive at the idea of the doctor coming in but after an uncertain look at Ziva who nodded encouragingly so slowly she nodded and Tony rose and quickly headed out to the reception where he told the nurses that his daughter was awake and one of the doctors informed him that someone would be in shortly.

Tony quickly headed back to the room where he found Gibbs just about to enter. "Hey boss" he said "DiNozzo" his boss greeted "how's our girl doing." Tony smiled "she just woke up" he said "she's a bit groggy and doesn't remember the accident but she seems ok in herself."

Gibbs nodded and followed him into the room where they saw that Ziva had manoeuvred herself onto the bed and had her arm wrapped around her daughter. As they entered Ziva looked up and smiled "look its grandpa" she said and looking up Tali smiled "hi grandpa" she said sleepily "hey sweetpea" Gibbs murmured bending to gently kiss her forehead "you look better lovebug" Tali smiled and shifted in the bed looking happy to see her family.

The doctor came in then though and Tali instantly shifted closer to her mommy who soothed her gently "its ok baby the nice doctor is just doing to check you over and then get you some food ok?" Tali nodded uncertainly and Tony and Gibbs took a couple of steps back whilst the doctor carefully checked Tali over whilst the little girl stayed close to her mother.

Gibbs and Tony waited anxiously watching the doctor's every move before stepping forward as he pulled away from Tali. "She's ok right" Tony demanded and the doctor smiled "considering what she went through, yes she is ok, but I am worried about her doing any more damage to herself so when she gets released I want her on extreme bed rest for at least a week, that means she either stays in bed or on the sofa, she should do as little walking as possible and I want her out of day care for at least two weeks so that she doesn't accidently hurt herself. She will be on strong painkillers anyway so she'll be tired which will make keeping her lying down easier at first until we wean her off them."

Tony nodded slowly before looking at Gibbs wondering how they were going to handle this and work but Gibbs clapped him on the shoulder "don't worry about work right now Tony we'll sort something out" he said gruffly and Tony nodded gratefully "thank you doctor when will she be released" he asked.

The doctor looked over his shoulder at Tali who was sat chatting quietly to her mother who was smiling down at her "I want to X-ray her chest one last time and then we will give her some breakfast. Providing nothing shows up on the X-ray and that she can hold the food down ok, I would say she could be released this afternoon as long as she goes straight home to rest."

Tony nodded and went and told Ziva what the doctor had said and she looked very relieved to hear that Tali would be headed home soon. When the doctor came over to prepare Tali for the X-ray Gibbs came over. "You should go with her Tony" he said and Tony looked at him confused "she'll want her protective daddy nearby when the scary machine is making loud noises" he clarified "Kelly had one done when she was little; shot straight past Shannon and into my arms when it was done."

Tony smiled weakly and nodded before he headed off with Tali to have the X-ray leaving Gibbs and Ziva standing in the room waiting.

"You doing ok Ziver" Gibbs asked and Ziva sighed "not really" she whispered "you shouldn't still be blaming yourself Ziver" Gibbs said "these things happen, there was nothing you could have done."

"Everyone keeps saying that but I still don't believe it" Ziva said. "Hey" Gibbs said quickly catching hold of her shoulders "what's done is done, don't dwell on the past, you have to get over it and smile, for Tali. She'll need you to be positive whilst she heals, it won't do for you to be walking around still blaming youself, you hear me."

Ziva stared at him uncertainly before slowly she nodded and forced a small smile onto her face "ok" she whispered and Gibbs smiled reassuringly at her before they both looked over as Tony came back in with a whimpering Tali "someone really didn't like the X-ray machine" he said rubbing Tali's back and slowly Tali lifted her head to look around the room as her bottom lip quivered "it loud" she complained and Ziva gave her a sympathetic smile "oh baby I know" she said "but look there's some breakfast for you" she said spotting a nurse entering with a tray of food.

Smiling Tony held Tali out to Ziva who took her daughter and carefully moved over to the bed and sat with her daughter on her lap and pulled the table with the tray of food over so that Tali could eagerly take the food.

"Well the hunger is good" the friendly nurse said "when she is finished the doctor will be in to give her a little check over and assess whether she can go home." "Thank you" Tony said and the nurse nodded and quickly left.

Tali quickly ate her food and they waited for a short time to make sure that she could hold it down before the doctor came in to give her the final check-over and to give Tony and Ziva some advice for caring for her over the next few days. After that they signed the release papers and Tali was free to head home.

Tony scooped Tali up into his arms and carried her down towards the car park where he suddenly stopped "Erm Ziva" he said slowly "our car is still at the Navy Yard… we caught a ride with the ambulance." "Why do you think I am here DiNozzo" Gibbs said gruffly "I'll drop Ziva and Tali at home and then take you to the navy yard so you can pick up the car and drive it home."

"Thanks boss" Tony said gratefully and he and Ziva followed Gibbs to his car and carefully Tony slid Tali into her car seat watching as she shifted around getting comfortable before sitting back to allow her father to strap her in.

The drive home was quiet. Tali still seemed fairly sleepy from all the drugs and stared contentedly out of the window whilst hugging Bernie close.

When they arrived home Tony slid Tali back into his arms and carried her up to their apartment "right you need to stay here" he said as he carefully set her on the sofa, "lie still ok, daddy is going with grandpa Gibbs but he'll be back soon ok princess" "ok daddy" Tali mumbled and smiling Gibbs moved forward to give her a goodbye hug "see you soon sweetpea" he said "you be a good girl for mommy and daddy ok"

"Ok" Tali said "bye bye grandpa." Still smiling Gibbs straightened up watching how Ziva instantly moved over to her daughter holding a pile of her story books. Tali's face brightened when she saw all the stories and she instantly shifted over to snuggle next to her mother quickly pointing out which one she wanted first.

Grinning Ziva opened it and quickly began to read the story ofHairy Macary. Tony smiled and followed Gibbs out of the apartment and back down to Gibbs' car. As he slid in to the passenger seat and Gibbs quickly drove off.

"You doing ok" Gibbs asked gruffly as they sped towards the navy yard. Tony didn't answer immediately. He stared out the window before sighing "yeah I guess I am doing ok… apart from losing a few years of my life thanks to fear. God I can't shake the image of her lying there out of my head… I think that is going to haunt my dreams for a good few years to come"

"DiNozzo you need to stop blaming yourself, I know you feel bad but as you said to Ziva; there was nothing you could have done, yes the dream will most likely haunt you for a while but only as long as you let it, do you understand?"

Tony nodded "yeah I understand" he said "but that doesn't really make it any easier to stop blaming myself." Gibbs nodded understandingly "take a few sick days" he said "you and Ziva both need to be there for Tali, especially when she starts feeling better and wants to get up." Tony smiled "yeah I think it will be very hard to keep her down" he said before wincing "I think I am going to end up watching _Frozen_ more times than I can manage."

Gibbs chuckled as he pulled into the NCIS car park "think you might be right there DiNozzo" he said looking over at him "good luck there." Smiling Tony clambered out "thanks boss… for everything "no problem DiNozzo" he said "anytime."

Smiling Tony shut the door and watched as Gibbs drove off with a squeal of tyres. Slowly he walked over to the car fishing the keys out of his pocket as he did so before clambering into the car. As he switched the engine on he couldn't help but smirk as the _Frozen _CD came on; Tali loved listening to that on her way to daycare and often sang very loudly. He switched it off guessing that he would be hearing that a lot over the next few days.

He drove to the nearest supermarket to pick up some supplies to get them through the next few days and wondered quickly up and down the aisles grabbing things they might need until he came to the DVD aisle where he paused and began to peruse the titles grabbing ones that he knew Tali hadn't seen hoping that the prospect of new movies in there DiNozzo movie marathons might keep her still for a little bit longer. He also dashed down the toy aisle where he found much to his delight a toy that would most certainly keep his _Frozen _fanatic daughter entertained.

Once he had paid he quickly headed back to the car and hurried home where he found Ziva and Tali in pretty much the same position he had left them in; still reading stories. "Hi Daddy" Tali said looking up as she heard him enter and her eyes quickly locked onto the bags he was carrying "What's in there" he asked.

Tony grinned and quickly selected the bag with all the DVD's in. "Well since we have to watch lots of movies this week I bought us some new ones to try" and with a flourish he produced the DVDs smiling at how Tali's eyes grew huge at the sight of all the movies and her mouth formed a perfect 'oh.'

"Wow" she breathed reaching for them eagerly "what do you say to daddy" Ziva prompted whilst rolling her eyes at Tony who winked at her. "Thank you daddy" Tali said excitedly leaning over to hug him. Tony smiled "no problem princess" he murmured.

When he pulled back he grinned again "And because daddy loves his little princess" he began before he pulled the toy out of the bag and handed the set of _Frozen _dolls to his daughter and she again went bug eyed before she once again flung her arms around her father's neck "Thank you daddy" she squealed and Tony laughed "you are welcome my little princess; you just be good and stay on the sofa ok"

"OK" Tali said barely focusing on him as she eagerly opened the box, excited to start playing with her new dolls. "You spoil her" Ziva chided and Tony grinned "she's worth spoiling" he said and Ziva rolled her eyes.

Leaving their daughter delightedly examining her new dolls Tony and Ziva headed into the kitchen where Ziva quickly headed over to the oven and opened it. "Hey now that smells good" Tony said bending to see what was in there and Ziva smiled "pasta bake" she said "I thought it would be quite easy for Tali to eat; she said she still felt icky so I thought it would be quite gently on her stomach."

Tony nodded approvingly before he pulled her close and gently kissed the top of her head holding her within the security of his arms feeling her snuggle in resting her head against his heart "I've missed this" he whispered truthfully "me too" she responded "I am so glad that the fighting is finally over"

"So am I" Tony murmured "no more fighting like that ever; I couldn't go through that again." He felt Ziva nod against his chest before she looked up and smiled at him. Then slowly she reached up and kissed him gently on the lips. "Go get Tali" she murmured "it's time for dinner."

Tony nodded and slowly headed over to see Tali whilst Ziva pulled the dinner out of the oven before she turned as she heard laughter and looking round she saw Tony had carefully lifted Tali into his arms and was slowly flying her around with her arms outstretched grinning at the laughs he was creating.

Ziva couldn't help but pause and watch her family and she found herself marvelling at how much her life had changed since she had arrived in America. She remembered how she had been when she had first arrived; how she had shied away from any sort of relationship, but Tony had managed to gently push his way past the walls that she built around herself and he had helped her find love in a way she had never thought she would be able to have.

Then Tali had come along and once again her life had changed. She had discovered the joys of motherhood. She had never thought that being a mother would be a role she would get to play, but now that she was, she never wanted to lose it. Tali was the light of her life. Her sun and stars. Her reason for surviving on the worst days. To hear her laugh was something that never ceased to create a warmth inside of her and to see her smile was always able to make her smile back no matter how bad her day had been.

She remembered how terrified she had been when she had found out she had been pregnant; terrified that she wold be a bad mother to her child. But when Tali had first been placed in her arms she had felt a love so powerful it had erased all fear because she knew that she would do everything in her power to take care of her new baby and that she would fight to the death to protect her from harm. True there had been a lot of moments where she might not have managed to protect Tali but everyone knew how hard she tried to protect her and how well she cared for her when she had been recovering.

Ziva quickly shook herself out of her daydream as Tony came over making aeroplane noises "this little aeroplane needs to be refuelled" he said "what's on the menu mommy chef" Ziva laughed at his immaturity as he carefully placed Tali in her chair "do you want juice Tali" he asked as he headed to the fridge grabbing her princess cup from the drainer as he passed "yes please daddy" Tali said twisting in her seat to watch her parents moving around the kitchen gracefully avoiding crashing into each other as they completed their tasks before sitting down with their daughter to eat their dinner.

"So what movie are we watching tonight princess" Tony asked. _"Frozen" _Tali said without missing a beat and Tony had to hide a groan whilst Ziva dropped her head to hide a smirk "how about one of your new movies princess" Tony bribed "something we haven't seen before, or something we haven't seen in a very long time" Tali scrunched up her face in a way that always reminded Tony of Ziva as she considered "Ok" she then said brightly and Tony breathed a sigh of relief.

Once they had finished their food Tony helped Tali back to the sofa for the evening and they quickly chose a movie to watch whilst Ziva cleared the table before heading over to join them and she quickly curled up against her husband's chest enjoying the warmth of his embrace as the title credits of whatever movie that had chosen began.

And she soon found herself lost in the peace and serenity of her mundane family life. The life she would never have any other way.

**Sorry again for the delay – university is a lot more demanding than school and it is impossible to find time to write – also as much as I am loathed to admit it – without Ziva on the show every week – I struggle to find inspiration. I miss her so much and pray that she returns.**

**Anyway hope you liked it. **

**If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them :D**

**Please review and I promise to try and get the next chapter in soon.**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hi everyone thanks for all the reviews especially the one by 'Bruce Major': it was very sweet and it made me smile. It also gave me the determination to keep going with this story to keep Ziva's memory alive within the fandom and helped me write this chapter. Thank you. Enjoy this chapter ;) – per someone's suggestion I included a previously. Enjoy!**

Chapter 40

_Previously: After being knocked down by the car in front of the NCIS building Tali was rushed to hospital where it was announced she was lucky and was going to have a full recovery. After promising each other that there would be no more fighting and spending the night at her bedside, Tony and Ziva are with Tali when she wakes up. After a few more tests are taken she is allowed to go home but must remain on strict bed rest._

_Gibbs arrives to drive them home and once Tali and Ziva are busy reading stories, he takes Tony to collect the car and on his way home he stops at the shop to buy his little princess some toys and DVDs to keep her entertained whilst she is on strict bed rest._

Over the next few weeks Tony and Ziva spent a lot of time juggling their work schedule with being at home to care for Tali. Since she had to be resting all of the time they had to constantly watch her, especially as recently, now that she was feeling better, she wanted to get up and play. It was taking a lot of bribes to get her to stay still.

Today they had both been needed at work after a failed assassination attempt at a well-known navy bar. They had been woken early this morning by Gibbs who had said he had already called Ducky and as there were no dead victims, the elderly medical examiner was happily on his way over to come take care of his honorary granddaughter.

He had arrived whilst Tali was still sleeping and they had rushed off to the crime scene hoping that one of them would be able to sneak away. But the day had flown by with them up to their elbows in phone calls and interviews meaning they were unable to even call to check on Tali. But they had both managed to reassure themselves that Ducky would have called if there was an issue.

So finally after a very long day Tony and Ziva stepped out of the elevator and made their way down the corridor towards their apartment. "Urgh what a day" Tony groaned "I am not looking forward to tomorrow."

Ziva smiled at him; as it was Saturday tomorrow they had arranged for Ziva to work from home tomorrow conducting research and phone calls whilst they handled interviews from the office so that Tali could have at least one of her parents home with her at the weekend. "I hope ninja hasn't been a pickle for Ducky" Tony added as they stopped outside of their front door and he fished around in his pockets for the keys.

Once he found them he slid them into the lock and carefully opened the front door. As it opened they were greeted by an amazing smell and the calming sound of Ducky's voice ringing through the air as he told Tali a story of the good old days.

"That's not true Grandpa Ducky" Tali giggled from somewhere within the apartment "oh my dear sweet girl that is true" Ducky said "that is how I know that Santa Claus is real, he fell down my chimney when I was about your age."

"How long ago was that" Tali asked "ah well… longer than I'd like to admit" Ducky said and Ziva smiled as she finished shrugging out of her coat and she headed into the living room where she was surprised to find it vacant.

"Hello" she called

"Mommy" Tali exclaimed "me and Ducky are in the kitchen." Ziva and Tony slowly made their way into the kitchen where they found Tali sitting on the edge of a stool beside Ducky carefully mixing something around in their mixing bowl.

"Hey baby what are you doing" Ziva asked as she moved forward. "We maked cupcakes mommy" Tali said excitedly as Ziva gently wrapped her arms around her daughter kissing the top of her head. "That sounds like fun" Tony said "though what's cooking because it smells good."

"That Anthony is some pizzas we made earlier" Ducky said. "Ohh now that is a productive day and I love it" Tony said grinning at the elderly medical who smiled at him. "Well I thought it was something different to do other than sit on the sofa all day, and she seemed to feel up for it."

"Can we finish making the cupcakes daddy" Tali asked looking up at him beseechingly. "Yes why don't you go freshen up and we will finish making these cakes" Ducky suggested. "That sounds wonderful Ducky thank you" Ziva said and with a smile she and Tony headed into their bedroom.

"I am glad that Tali got to spend time with Ducky today" Ziva said "I never feel that she spends enough time with him."

"That's because Gibbs or Abby always hog her" Tony said with a grin and Ziva laughed as she quickly placed her gun and badge in their safe and Tony followed in suit. "You wanna shower first whilst we have a babysitter" he asked and Ziva nodded with a grin before she headed into their bathroom hearing Tali giggling with Ducky who was spinning another story to her.

Ziva let out a relieved sigh as she stepped into the shower and felt the warm water cascade over her. She smiled as she ran her hands through her hair smirking as she heard Tony whistling as he entered the bathroom.

She choked back a laugh as he opened the door to the shower. "Get out" she said swatting his hand away from her "what Tali is with Ducky" he defended "yes and we have company in the apartment" she said "spoilsport" he whined as she shoved him out of the shower hearing him chuckle as he moved to the sink to shave.

Once they had both freshened up and changed into more comfortable clothes they headed out to find two freshly made pizzas on the counter and the cupcakes in the oven slowly cooking.

"Wow those look amazing little chef" Tony said and Tali grinned happily.

"Would you like to stay for dinner Ducky" Ziva invited.

"Ahh thank you for the invitation Ziva my dear but I am afraid I feel the need to get home and rest. Let me know if you need me to babysit me again tomorrow because it would be my pleasure."

"Thank you Ducky" Ziva said as she followed him to the door and helped him into his coat before kissing him on the cheek "goodbye my dear" he said "goodbye sweet Tali" he called.

"Bye Ducky" Tali yelled from the kitchen from around a mouthful of pizza and Ziva rolled her eyes as she closed the door, locking it behind Ducky.

She headed back into the kitchen where she found Tony and Tali already tucking into the pizzas. She laughed as she moved into the kitchen "leave some for me" she said and grinning Tony shoved a plate of pizza towards her and she sat down on the other side of her daughter.

"How are you feeling Tali" she asked "were you in any pain motek?"

Tali shook her head "no I had no pain" she said happily "that's good" Tony said. "Does that mean I can go back to day care soon" Tali asked and Tony looked at Ziva before he looked back at Tali "a few more days sweetheart, then we will see what the doctors think ok."

Tali pulled a face "I don't want to see the doctors daddy" she announced. "Aww why not princess" Tony asked "Cuz they poke me and make me go in that room with that loud clanging machine" she said referring to the X-Ray machine.

Tony smiled at her "don't worry princess the doctors won't hurt you; they are just trying to make you feel better."

"I still don't like them" Tali said and Ziva looked at Tony who looked back at her and shrugged "eat your dinner Tali so you can have your bath" she said and Tali nodded quickly continuing with her pizza.

Once she had finished Ziva took her to have her bath whilst Tony cleared up. As he loaded their dishwasher Tony listened to Tali chattering away to Ziva who was talking back to her with an amused voice.

Once he has cleaned up he dropped onto the sofa groaning in relief as he properly relaxed for the first time that day. He heard the sound of the bath being emptied and then Ziva lifting Tali out.

He turned on the TV on and hopped through the channels until he groaned as Tali leapt onto his stomach giggling. "Ooof" he grunted as he caught hold of her to stop her from falling off "careful ninja" he said brushing her wet hair away. "Where are your pyjamas?"

"In my room" she said and he rolled his eyes "why don't you go put them on so that we can watch a movie"

"Ok" Tali said and she slowly wondered off towards her bedroom.

Ziva came out of the bathroom then and moved over to him. "Hey" Tony said and he held his arm out "come here." Ziva smiled and slowly lowered herself down to lie down next to him and he wrapped his arm around her as she rested her head on his chest.

"Mmm this is nice" Tony murmured closing his eyes as he ran one hand through her hair. "Very" Ziva agreed tracing her hand over his chest "it won't last though" she added as they heard Tali coming back out of her room "mommy daddy let's watch a movie" she exclaimed.

Tony chuckled and opened his eyes to look at his daughter "go choose one then ninja but not a long one ok"

"Ok" Tali chirped and toddled off to the DVD cabinet.

Tony watched her as she selected _Toy Story_ from the shelf and headed over to the TV and slotted the DVD into the player before she moved over to the sofa and scrambled onto the sofa to lie on her daddy's chest.

Tony smiled as he wrapped his arms tightly around both his girls holding them securely in his arms loving the sense of serenity that washed over him as he lay there listening to Tali giggling at the movie. He loved it when he got to just lie here with Tali and Ziva acting like a normal mundane family rather than one that had seen a lot of pain and death. He loved his life as it was but to have normality occasionally was something he treasured.

He looked at Ziva who was watching the movie with a small smile. Sensing him watching her she looked over at him and her smile widened before she quietly reached up and kissed him on the lips.

Tony smirked into the kiss before he pulled back to wink at her before they both returned their gazes to the movie.

When it finished Tali made no move to get up and looking down Tony saw that she had fallen asleep on his chest curled up like a little cat. "Wow" he commented quietly "what was Ducky doing with her all day?" Ziva laughed gently.

Ever so carefully Tony arranged her arms around Tali so that he could carefully get to his feet keeping Tali curled in his arms and he slowly headed towards her bedroom. Smiling Ziva followed and carefully closed the curtains and helped Tony settle Tali into the bed grinning as she mumbled in her sleep and rolled onto her side and curled up in a ball around Bernie.

Tony smiled as he carefully pulled the blankets over her small body and stroked the hair out of her face before kissing her forehead and stepping back so that Ziva could kiss her daughter "night night my tateleh" she murmured before she rose to her feet and backed out of the room.

She met Tony in the doorway and he quickly slung his arm around her. "I can never believe how lucky we are" he commented "and I sometimes think I forget it."

Ziva smiled "me too" she whispered as they both stared into Tali's bedroom where their four year old slept "let's not forget any more" she said and Tony nodded as he played gently with her hair.

They both remained there for a few more minutes marvelling at their perfect daughter before Ziva gently took Tony's hand and their gazes met as she closed Tali's door and led him towards their own room. Then maintaining the eye contact she guided him over to the bed where she finally released him and began to help him out of his clothes as his hands worked to relive her of her own.

Once they had finished they both fell onto the bed kissing each other almost frantically enjoying some rare quality time together whilst their daughter slept.

XO

The next morning was the usual rush even though Ziva was working from home that day. Tony flew round the apartment trying to locate all his belongings whilst Tali sat on her favourite chair watching as she ate her breakfast.

"Ziva have you seen my badge it isn't in my jacket pocket where I left it" Tony yelled and Ziva slipped out of the bedroom and folded her arms. "How many times have I told you to put it in the safe with your gun" she chastised.

"Not helping" Tony grumbled as he searched around the sofa. Ziva rolled her eyes and quickly moved forward to help him search.

Ten minutes later they still hadn't found it so Ziva straightened up "go" she said "you are only conducting interviews so you won't need it. I will keep looking for it. If I find it I will bring it in ok."

Tony didn't look convinced but he nodded and he quickly kissed her on the lips before he moved over to Tali and kissed the top of her head "see you later peanut" he said and Tali giggled as she reached up to hug him "bye daddy" she chimed and smiling Tony grabbed his things and headed out the door.

Once he was gone Ziva looked round at her daughter who was grinning cheekily at her. Ziva smiled "I have to do some work my love" she said "but when it is over how about we go and do something fun."

"Yeah" Tali exclaimed and Ziva smiled "why don't you go play in your room but be careful" she warned "you still need to be careful about doing things."

Tali nodded and carried her bowl over to the sink and set it in before she danced over to her bedroom and disappeared inside.

Ziva gave the living room another good search for Tony's badge wondering where it was before she settled down at the kitchen table and began to work her way through the stack of reports and interview records that she had been charged with completing and going through.

Tali was very well behaved and played happily in her room all morning enabling Ziva to work so that by lunchtime she had completed most of her work. As she made Tali some lunch she listened to the sound of her daughter playing with a smile on her face.

"Tali come have lunch" she called as she cleared some space on the table to set the ham sandwiches down as Tali came out of her room and scrambled onto the chair. "Mommy what we going to do" she asked and Ziva smiled "we shall go shopping my love and have some fun."

"Yay" Tali giggled and she sat playing with something whilst she ate as her legs swung back and forth.

Ziva frowned then as she saw that Tali was holding something. "What have you got there aheva" she asked.

Tali grinned "Look mommy I'm like you and daddy" she giggled "Special Agent Tali DiNozzo" she proclaimed displaying Tony's badge and Ziva laughed loudly before she rolled her eyes "where did you find daddy's badge tateleh" she asked. "It was in my room" Tali said and Ziva realised it must have been in Tony's pocket and had fallen out when he had put Tali to bed last night.

"OK we need to take that daddy before we go out" she said and Tali nodded before she handed Ziva the badge and Ziva turned it over and over in her hands smiling at it.

"Go get your hair brush so I can brush your hair aheva" she said and Tali nodded and disappeared off towards her room whilst Ziva packed up all the case files related to the current case before she sat Tali down to brush her hair.

"How do you want your hair my love" she asked as she brushed her daughter's long silky hair. "An Elsa braid" Tali said happily and Ziva smiled before she gently began to braid Tali's hair so that she looked like her favourite character.

"There you go my love" she said and Tali turned to smile at her happily "thank you mommy" she said and Ziva smiled before they both headed over to the coat closet and Ziva helped Tali into her furry boots and little smart cream pea coat.

Ziva quickly grabbed her own coat and shoes before and slipped into them. Once she had done that they headed out and Tali skipped happily down the hall whilst Ziva followed at a slower pace.

She helped Tali into her car seat and they drove quickly towards NCIS. Since Tali visited so often she had a permanent visitor's badge that Ziva kept in her bag. She loved wearing it and presenting it to the security guards which she did so proudly making Ziva smile as they were both waved through and Tali instantly ran to the elevator eager to press the buttons.

Tony was sat at his desk checking financials when the elevator opened with a ding and he heard a squeal of "daddy" and he looked up to see Tali dashing towards him. He grinned and moved round his desk "Hey princess" he said bending to scoop her up "whatcha doing here."

"We came to deliver what you forgot" he heard and he saw Ziva coming towards them. Smiling she held out his badge and he grinned as he took it "thanks" he said leaning over to kiss her "where was it?"

"Tali's room" she said "must have dropped it when you were putting her to bed… Tali was playing with it this morning … that's how I found it."

"Aww you found daddy's badge for him" Tony said looking back at his daughter who grinned "I sense another little detective in the family."

"Hell no" Ziva and Gibbs both said protectively and Tony nodded "yeah I feel that way too" he said smiling as he set Tali down and she danced over to see McGee and Gibbs.

He looked back over at Ziva as she handed Gibbs some case files "I looked through all the phone records and highlighted any multiple occurring numbers that seemed suspicious" she said and Gibbs nodded as he flipped through the top file.

"You going somewhere nice princess" Tony asked looking at Tali who nodded enthusiastically "me and mommy having a girly day" she said eagerly and Tony smiled "now that does sound nice" he said looking at Ziva who smiled back at him as she nodded "yes I feel the need to have a girly day with her" she said.

"Yeah it will be good to have a mother daughter day" Tony said smiling at her. "Case going good" Ziva asked and Tony nodded "getting there" he said letting out a small sigh "can't wait for this one to be over though… this case is mostly interviewing a vast quantity of witnesses as running lots of checks."

He looked over at Tali. "She looks like she is getting a lot better" he said and Ziva nodded "if all goes well at the doctors tomorrow I would say that she can start going back to day care next week" she said.

Tony nodded. "Hey princess" he called "come here a sec munchkin." Tali slid down from where she was sitting on McGee's lap watching him run traces which she had always found fascinating and ran over to her father who reached into his wallet and pulled out some bills which he held out to his daughter "don't spend it all at once" he warned teasingly as Tali's eyes grew huge. "Thank you daddy" she breathed taking the money and flung her arms around his neck making him chuckle "anything for you princess" he said.

Ziva rolled her eyes but smiled as she did so "you spoil her Tony" she said "yeah I know but I don't care" he added "she is very worth spoiling."

Ziva smiled before she looked over at Tali "come on then aheva" she called "let's leave everyone to their work."

"Have fun" Tony said as he kissed her on the cheek "spend lots of money on yourself" he added and Ziva gave him a playful shove as Tali said goodbye to McGee and Gibbs and danced over to her mother who caught hold of her hand.

"See you later Tony" Ziva called as she headed back towards the elevator with Tali who waved before she skipped back into the elevator.

Tony smiled after them until he felt Gibbs' hand collide with the back of his head. "Quit daydreaming DiNozzo and get back to work" Gibbs growled. "Yes boss" he said quickly as he headed back to his desk still smiling at the thought of his girls spending a quality day out together.

XO

As she drove, Ziva wondered what to do with Tali first. It was rare for them to have quality time like this together. If they weren't working weekends then they always wanted to do something as a family if she and Tony were not too exhausted from their week. And usually if one of them took Tali somewhere it was usually just to the movies.

She ended up firstly taking Tali to the park to play where she found herself updating the pictures on her phone as her daughter played, capturing her daughter's delight as she messed around. She even got a truly adorable one of Tali hanging upside down from the monkey bars grinning cheesily at the camera which she promptly sent to Tony knowing he would love it.

After she had tired Ziva took her to a diner and bought her a big meal and she couldn't stop laughing as she watched her daughter take a huge bite of the burger that made her cheeks bulge. "Careful tateleh" she said "don't choke."

Tali swallowed the bite with a tremendous effort before she giggled "it's tasty mommy" she said and Ziva smiled as she reached out to brush some of her daughter's hair out of her eyes and away from her mouth as she ate her own meal delicately.

"How about we go shopping after lunch tateleh" sh suggested and Tali's eyes widened "yes mommy" she said "then I spend the money daddy gave me."

Ziva nodded grinning at her daughter's excitement.

"Mommy can I go back to day care soon" Tali asked "I miss my friends, especially Maya"

Ziva smiled "that depends on what the doctors say honey but if you want I can ask Maya's mommy if Maya can come over and play soon."

"Yeah" Tali said eagerly making Ziva laugh at her daughter's eagerness.

Once they had finished their meal Ziva drove to the mall where they began to look around the shops. As per usual it was hard to resist buying up entire shops for Tali. Every outfit she tried on she looked adorable in and Ziva knew that if Abby had come then she could have bought everything imaginable for Tali. Ziva had considered inviting Abby along but had decided that she wanted time with just her daughter.

She leaned back on her heels smiling at her daughter wearing the little outfit she had chosen for her to try on. It was pretty cute pair of light coloured jeans with pink and purple flowers round the pockets and a dark grey t-shirt with a large purple butterfly on it. "You look beautiful my tateleh" she said and Tali giggled before she gave a little twirl.

"Do you like it" Ziva asked and Tali nodded eagerly. "OK" Ziva said "why don't we try… this outfit…" she selected another outfit and helped her daughter out of the first one and into the second one.

Tali did look pretty adorable in any outfit that she tried on and she really did have to remind herself not to buy everything for her. After choosing a couple of normal casual outfits for her Ziva looked at the other smarter outfits they had chosen.

She selected a cute little dress with a red top and a white skirt that had large blue spots and smiled at her daughter. "That's pretty mommy" Tali said and Ziva nodded as she helped Tali into it. Instantly she grinned "now you look gorgeous" she said stroking her daughter's hair as Tali twirled again "can I have it mommy" she asked and Ziva considered it "yes my love" she said "I think it is perfect for you"

Tali smiled happily as Ziva looked at her watch. "Do you want to go to the toy store now and spend daddy's money?" she asked and Tali nodded eagerly and changed back into her own clothes before they went out and Ziva bought more outfits than she had originally intended to but she was unable to resist how cute Tali looked in all of them.

Tali skipped along beside her happily clinging to her hand as she looked around in awe at all the shops. It was a good job that Ziva was holding her hand because a few times she was so busy looking around that she tripped over her own feet and it was only the fact that Ziva was holding her up that she didn't fall.

When they arrived at the toy store Tali went very bug eyed and Ziva quickly set herself up to spend a long time in here whilst Tali deliberated what to get.

She fell in love with all the dressing up outfits in the costume isle and soon chose a Bell costume from _Beauty and the Beast._ When she learned that thanks to her doting daddy she would still have money left over she instantly shot towards the toys whilst Ziva trailed behind her smiling at her adorable daughter.

She soon found some _Frozen _activity books which she quickly grabbed before finding some adorable princess dolls and Ziva had to remind her that she could only afford to buy one doll if she wanted the books as well.

Tali thought before she slowly chose the Rapunzel doll from the movie _Tangled _so that she could 'brush her lovely long hair.'

Once they had paid for all those toys they headed out of the store where Tali looked up at her mother "what we do now mommy" she asked and Ziva looked around thinking. Then her gaze fell on a shop on the other side of the mall and she smiled before she looked down at her daughter "how would you like to get a manicure" she asked and Tali frowned "what that" she asked.

"It's where they paint your nails a pretty colour" Ziva explained and instantly Tali nodded "yes" she exclaimed and Ziva laughed as they headed over to the shop.

The beauticians inside instantly thought Tali was adorable and cooed over her whilst they shaped her small nails and it wasn't long before Tali's shyness disappeared and she was chatting away happily to them whilst Ziva listened amused.

It took Tali a while to choose what colour she wanted but she soon decided on a pretty purple colour whilst Ziva eventually chose a jade green colour.

Tali really enyjoyed having her nails painted and sat examining them in awe when they were done.

After she had paid Ziva looked at the clock and was amazed at how the afternoon had flown by and she realised that it was time to head home as Tony would be on his way.

The whole journey back Tali sat playing with her new doll, chatting away to her happily whilst Ziva listened.

When they arrived home Tali eagerly bounded up to the front door waiting impatiently whilst Ziva dug around in her bag for her keys before she unlocked the door and Tali bounded in.

"Daddy" she yelled as she rocketed towards the kitchen where Ziva saw Tony standing "daddy we is home."

Tony turned and smiled at his daughter as he bent to scoop her into his arms. "Hey princess" he said "did you have a good day with mommy."

"Yeah" Tali exclaimed.

"Yeah" he echoed "that is great princess."

"I had the best day" Tali said "me and mommy got a mancur."

"A mancur" Tony questioned looking over at Ziva as she dumped all the bags onto the couch "manicure" she explained.

"Ahh" Tony said looking at Tali as she displayed her painted nails "don't you look beautiful and grown up ninja" he praised and Tali giggled delightedly.

"Well I see that mommy spoiled you" Tony commented as he moved over to look at the bags and Tali giggled "did you spend daddy's money" Tony asked and Tali nodded.

"Of course" he commented as he set Tali down so that she could grab her things.

"Hey" he said to Ziva moving over to give her a kiss on the cheek "have a good day."

Ziva smiled and nodded "loved it" she said "it was good to have some time just me and her."

Tony nodded before turning his attention back to their daughter who was clamouring for his attention, eager to show him what she had gotten.

Tony spent the next half an hour oooing and ahhing over all the things Tali had gotten before helping Ziva hang up all her new clothes. "Did you get anything for yourself?" he asked and Ziva smirked as she shook her head "No I wanted to spend the whole day spoiling my daughter" she said "and you know what she can be like if she gets bored… Abby wants a girly day soon… I'll shop for me when I go out with her" she said.

Tony nodded before he gently pulled her into his arms "you had better" he said "You could do with a couple of days being pampered." Ziva laughed "when do we have the time Tony" she asked "the only reason I wasn't working today was because we couldn't bring Tali in as she is still meant to be taking it easy and she never does so when she is with Abby. It is impossible to put yourself first when you have a child."

Tony slowly nodded "I guess you are right" he said "But believe me I am going to find a way to spoil you soon" "I look forward to that" Ziva added making him grin.

After a quick dinner followed by the movie _Despicable Me _they ushered Tali into bed where she crashed pretty promptly exhausted after her long day. When Ziva slipped out of her bedroom she found Tony waiting for her. He quickly caught hold of her hand and led her to the bathroom where she found candles on all available surfaces and a hot bath waiting. "I think I am going to like being spoiled if this is what it entails" she murmured before she looked at him "join me" she added and he didn't have to be asked twice.

It wasn't long before they were both lying in the bath. Ziva was lying in front of Tony, her back pressed against his warm chest with her eyes closed thoroughly enjoying the warmth and peace of the bath. She felt Tony kiss the nape of her neck and she smiled before she tilted her head to the side exposing her neck and throat allowing him to kiss her again and again.

After a few minutes of enjoying his lips running over her skin Ziva turned her head and caught hold of Tony's chin and dragged his lips down to meet hers. She closed her eyes once again enjoying the feel of his lips against hers and his arm around her chest.

She opened her mouth allowing her tongue to explore his mouth as his travelled round hers. Then she rose up and turned so that she was facing him feeling the water lap around her waist as she leaned forward to kiss him again.

She felt one of his hands tangle into her wet hair as his other moved to cradle the small of her back and his finger ran up and down her spine in the way he knew she liked. Her hands went straight to his hair and she clenched fistfuls of it pulling herself closer as he came up underneath her and she shivered in delight.

They continued like that for another few minutes before they slowly pulled apart. Tony smiled at her as he pressed his forehead to hers and Ziva stared into his greenie eyes stroking his cheek as she did so.

"How about I continue spoiling you in our bedroom" Tony asked in a whisper and Ziva fought the smile that tugged at her mouth before she relented and as she grinned she nodded to him.

"That sounds wonderful" she murmured "I feel very lucky" he chuckled at her before they both clambered out of the bath and after drying themselves they headed back into the bedroom. On the way Ziva stopped and poked her head round Tali's door smiling at her daughter's peaceful face and the way that she had one arm wrapped around Bernie and the other arm wrapped around her new doll.

She quietly closed the door before she followed Tony into their bedroom shutting the door tightly behind her before she moved over to the bed eager to pick up where they had left off…

**Hope you enjoyed that. **

**Please review I would love to hear what you think. I promise that I will do my best to update sooner.**

**As always if you have any suggestions, questions or just want to get to know me feel free to inbox me. I'd love to hear from you all.**

**Thanks**

**Mysticgirl**


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